Ankit Kumar Singh of Bokaro won the state level all Jharkhand online open blitz tournament organised to mark the Olympic Day.

The event, organised by Ranchi Chess Club under the aegis of All Jharkhand Chess Association (AJCA), attracted 136 participants from 14 districts of the state.

Ankit emerged champion with 8.5 points out of 9 rounds, a full point ahead of Ishant Kumar of Dhanbad and top seed Vatsal Singhania (Fide Master) of East Singhbhum, who finished second and third, respectively.

There was no entry fee for the event and Rs 20,000 was distributed amongst the 36 cash prize winners.

According to AJCA secretary Neeraj Kumar Mishra, the tournament was held successfully and the participants showed enthusiasm to take part.

"It was a successful event and the participants showed great zeal to be part of this virtual tournament," Jamshedour-based Mishra, an International Master (IM), added.

The state chess outfit has been helping chess enthusiasts remain busy during the pandemic by organising tournaments at periodical intervals. It recently conducted a virtual Chess Festival for different age groups. The event served as a platform for winners to participate in the online national championship.

At a time when Covid-related situation was normal earlier this year, AJCA organised an offline senior state championship in Ranchi. “We are planning to organise more online chess events to help players get prepared for national tournaments. The dates would be announced in due course of time,” an AJCA official said.