Bhakti, Shubham win Under 17 Selection titles!

Asian Under 14 Girls Gold medallist Bhakti Kulkarni added another
feather in her cap by winning the Goa State Under 17 Girls Selection tournament
which concluded recently at the Mir Sultan Khan Academy, Sanvordem.
Bhakti finished with 3.5 points out of a possible 4. In a tensely fought French Defence
Exchange variation game, Bhakti drew with upcoming Nandini Saripalli
who finished second with 3 points. Third and fourth spots were bagged by
Anuradha Chavana and Celianne Carvalho respectively.

In the boys section, Shubham Pinge had no problems whatsoever finishing first
with 6.5 points points out of a possible 7. His only draw was with Sumit Asnodkar
who was the runner up with 6 points. Charudutta Desai and Umang Kaisary both
finished on 5.5 points but the former was placed third due to a better progressive
tiebreak score.

The first two players in each section will represent Goa in
the forthcoming Under 17 Nationals to be held in Calicut in Januray, 2007.
In the prize distribution ceremony, young Cyrus Perreira was felicitated
by the AICF Vice President and GSCA President Sameer A. Salgaocar
for winning the prestigious Sangli Under 9 Open tournament.