Kumaran Charan wins the 2nd ChessBase India Chess Festival Blitz Tournament in Hyderabad

Chess Enthusiasts from Telangana gathered to celebrate the 2nd ChessBase India Chess Festival

10th of August is celebrated as ‘National Lazy Day’. But it seemed that many chess players in Hyderabad were too lazy to celebrate it. Many of them gathered to participate in the 2nd ChessBase India Chess Festival. The event was organized in the loving memory of Bishan Singh Ji. The venue for the tournament was The Shri Ram Academy International School in Gachibowli.

The event started at 10 AM with some brain-teasing puzzle-solving contest. Players were supposed to solve five puzzles within 30 minutes. There was enthusiasm among the players to see who solved the puzzles fast. Out of the 132 players, 3 players got a full score! 

After this little warm-up, players were set to play for the main match. The Blitz tournament consisted of 9 rounds with 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment time control. The response to the tournament was overwhelming as a total of 213 players participated in it. The atmosphere was filled with intense determination of players wanting to give their best. 

Interestingly, there were many students from the Shri Ram Academy who were playing in the tournament for the first time. It was a golden opportunity for them to play in their first-ever tournament in their school. They showed tremendous spirit and enthusiasm throughout the tournament.

One such student was Arjun Duddala who played in a tournament for the first time and ended up winning the best U-7 title. No wonder he was the highlight of the day! You can find the tournament results here. After the intense 9 rounds, the players who emerged as the top three finishers were -

The final tournament standings

Check out the final standings

Puzzle solving competition

Following suit of the first ChessBase India Chess Festival in Hyderabad a few days back, a puzzle solving competition was held the second time! There were a total of 5 problems posed to the players - 2 Checkmate in 2 problems, and 3 endgame studies. Check out the winners below! A big thanks to our problemist Satanick Mukhuty on preparing these excellent chess problems and designing the whole structure of the event.

Check out all the problems and their complete solutions

This event was possible because of the generous support from the sponsors, family of Bishan Singh Ji Family, Lakshmi Priyaa (Founder of Life Purified), P R Srinivasan (Director of Zero40 Brewing), CircleChess, Hyderabad Chess Centre, and SLAN Sports. Their contributions made this dream into reality and created a memorable experience for all the participants. We would also like to give a huge thanks to CircleChess on sponsoring Rs. 5000 for the event and helping us with the tournament pairings and registrations, and the Hyderabad Chess Centre (HCC) for helping us a lot with chess boards, pieces and clocks.

Apart from the competition, this event focused on celebrating the chess players of Telangana. All those responsible for the growth of chess in the state were felicitated. The top examples were none other than GM Arjun Erigaisi and WGM Harika Dronavalli. Apart from them, their coach, organizers, and journalists were felicitated for their hard work in the field of chess. 

Venue search!

We began our venue search by considering venues where we had previously held tournaments. The first option we considered was Olivemount School, Attapur a familiar location. However, our plans were disrupted when the school principal informed us at the last minute that the venue was not available due to a prior commitment on the same Saturday. This unexpected development was a significant setback just 4 days before the tournament. Consequently, we had to go back to square one in search of a different venue. We were forced to begin our venue search anew. FM & FT  Rishpal Singh took the initiative by messaging all schools and reaching out to Shri ram Academy After contacting the Sports Head, Mr. Avinash, we received a positive response.

Within just 40 minutes of our discussion, A meeting was quickly arranged, and the venue was finalized. Rishpal's determination, perseverance, and passion for chess shone through as he left no stone unturned to ensure this event would happen. After leaving no stone unturned, we find ourselves here today writing a report on an event that almost faced cancellation due to venue issues. We extend special thanks to Mr Rizwan - Head of the school, Mr Avinash head of sports and fitness,  and Mr Sunil head of operations for their belief in us and for providing us with a beautiful venue for our tournament.

Life purified 

TT Lakshmi Priyaa is a seasoned professional with a diverse background and a deep routed passion for holistic wellness. Over the past 22 years she honed her skills and expertise across various industries, from corporate environments to the dynamic world of entrepreneurship.  She started an ayurvedic personal care startup dedicated to promoting well-being and authenticity.

Lakshmi Priyaa, with the titles of FIDE instructor and FIDE arbiter, served as the Manager/Coach for the Indian chess delegation that achieved multiple medals at the World Youth Championships in 2014, 2015, and 2016, which took place in UAE, South Korea, and Russia. For nearly 5 years, she was involved in a significant project focused on grassroots chess promotions. Mr. Vishveshwaran had a vision to popularize chess in every household and enhance the game at the grassroots level, which led to the project being named Grassroots Chess Promotions. In order to achieve this goal, he collaborated with the Internet Chess Club to make online chess accessible to the Indian chess community at an affordable cost. She played a key role in managing their operations in India and supporting Mr. Vishveshwaran in his endeavors, as he was occupied with working with players.Players such as Adhiban, Murali Kartikeyan, Vishnu Prasanna, and others went on to achieve the prestigious title of Grandmaster later in their careers.

Zero40

Zero40 is a craft brewery based in Hyderabad, renowned for its dedication to producing high-quality, artisanal beers. Established in 2016 by Managing Director Mr. Anoor, the brewery is also guided by Mr. P. R. Srinivasan, one of its directors.We meticulously track the company’s performance in relation to its goals, strategies, and expansion plans, utilizing metrics and reports to evaluate progress and make necessary adjustments.

Mr. Srinivasan and Rishipal Singh, an international chess player, grew up in the same community. Rishpal, FIDE master & FIDE trainer ,finished in Top 3 multiple times in junior category in the late 90's has a deep connection to the game. Their shared passion for chess led them to support and promote the sport from a young age. Rishpal has always been committed to advancing the legacy of chess by teaching chess , organizing tournaments and inspiring young players to reach their potential. Since he has known Rishpal(Rishi) since childhood, Srinivasan always agrees to anything related to chess and supports without hesitation! When Rishpal Singh approached Lakshmi Priyaa and explained the plan to promote chess in Hyderabad,  she took no time to say YES!!

In the end, this event not only witnessed healthy competition among players but also the results of everyone’s hard work in promoting chess in Telangana. We hope that many more events like this will be organized to inspire and nurture the talent from the state!

Related news:

Arjun Erigaisi, Harika Dronavalli and Telangana Chess Heroes honored at the 2nd Chess Festival by ChessBase India @ 13/08/2024 by Rasika Ratnaparkhi (en)