Young minds engaged in a game of intellect and focused on pronouncing their opponents ‘Check-mate’ at the first All-India Open International FIDE Rated Chess Tournament 2023. It was conducted by Dr Sudhir Chandra Sur Institute of Technology and Sports Complex under the JIS Group between April 11-16, 2023. The closing ceremony hosted on April 16 was attended by Dibyendu Barua, India chess grandmaster; Swapan Chakraborty, tournament director; Debasish Barua, chief arbiter; and Saradindu Panda, principal, Dr Sudhir Chandra Sur Institute of Technology and Sports Complex.
Sardar Simarpreet Singh, director, JIS Group, commented on the occasion, “We are thrilled to be able to host the 1st All-India Open International FIDE Rated Chess Tournament in 2023. This tournament was a unique opportunity for chess players to showcase their skills and compete at the highest level. We looked forward to welcoming participants from across India and the world and creating a memorable event for all. We were particularly excited about the closing ceremony, which was an unforgettable celebration of the winners and the game of chess.
Dibyendu Barua, India chess grandmaster handing over prize
Participants from various parts of the country and even the world came together for this six –days extravaganza. Around 225 participants alone represented the states of Maharashtra, Assam, Delhi, Tamil Nadu, Bihar, Telangana and Jharkhand; besides West Bengal. The competition was formulated as per the Swiss System format which consisted of nine rounds. It not only gave the players a platform to express and explore their talents but also was a path-breaking journey towards the promotion of chess as a sport among young minds.
After six days of ‘check-mate’, ‘stale-mates’, ‘castles’ and more, West Bengal boys Kaustav Kundu emerged as the winner followed by Anurag Jaiswal as the first runner-up and Arpan Das as second runner-up.