SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, 26 April: Rated player Prem Kumar emerged victorious in the 19th Seraikela-Kharsawan District Open Chess Championship, finishing with an impressive 5.5 points from six rounds.
In the final round, Kumar secured a strategic draw against Md Mahtab Ansari (5 points), clinching the championship title for the first time. Both players remained unbeaten throughout the tournament, but Ansari’s two drawn games pushed him into second place. His earlier draw in the third round against Avinav Prakash proved decisive.
Tight Contest for the Podium
Milan Kumar also finished with 5 points, matching Ansari’s tally, but had to settle for third place after suffering a loss to Arush Akshaj in the fifth round.
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Ashwini Amritanshu Tiwari, Avinav Prakash, and Trishanu Mukherjee also performed strongly, securing fourth to seventh place, respectively.
Women’s Category Sees New Champion
In the women’s event, Singh Sushma took the top honours with 4.5 points, while Arpita Kumar followed closely behind with 4 points, claiming the runner-up title.
Category-Wise Winners
- Under-7: Ramanuj Kejriwal
- Under-9 Girls: Eshipta Sarkar
- Under-11 Boys: Vivan Santhalia
- Under-13 Boys: Yuwansh Bhalotia
- Under-15 Boys: Ashish Kumar
- Under-15 Girls: Yashwi Sinha
Special Guests and Simultaneous Chess Exhibition
The prize distribution ceremony was graced by Ram Vinay Sharma, Deputy Director of NIT Jamshedpur, who served as the chief guest. He was joined by Registrar Nishith Rai and other dignitaries, including District Chess Association President Manoj Kumar, Vice-President Binod Singh, and Shailendra Kumar.
Adding to the excitement, International Master and Indian chess team coach Neeraj Kumar Mishra played a simultaneous exhibition match against 25 local players, inspiring young talent in the region. Mishra, a former general secretary of the Jharkhand Chess Association now based in Kolkata, also paid tribute to the late Sumant Sinha, former president of the district chess body.
