Anurag Mhamal & Riddi Zantye clinch U-13 Chess State titles

Anurag Mhamal & Riddhi Zantye won U-13 Boys
& Girls Chess State selection respectively
conducted by Bambolim Chess Club & Super
Sports Club in association with Goa State
Chess Association at Mahalaxmi Hindu Vachan
Mandir, Mala, Panaji.

Anurag Mhamal scored 6.5 points out of 7 rounds.
He won 6 games and drew one to claim the title.
Incidentally, Anurag has won the U-13 Chess State
Championship for the 4th time in five years
(2004, 2006, 2007 & 2008). He is presently being
coached by Akash Thakur of Nagpur. Pranav Zantye
scored 6 points from 7 rounds to finish second.

In the Girls category, 6 1/2 year old Riddhi
Zantye claimed her first title by defeating 4
players and drawing with two. She defeated the
top seed and the only rated player Sampada
Barve (elo 1634). Ridhi is being coached by
Dronacharya Awardee Raghunandan Gokhale.
Unrated Gauri Hadkonkar finished second.

Prize Winners

Boys
1) Anurag Mhamal
2) Pranav Zantye
3) Niraj S
4) Saeesh Bandodkar
5) Cyrus Pereira
6) Amod Kolvalkar

Girls
1) Riddhi Zantye
2) Gauri Hadkonkar
3) Sampada Barve
4) Pushpita Singh

Naresh Sawal, Chairman of the Pirna Urban
Cooperative Society was the Chief Guest and
Mahesh Candolkar, President of the Mahalaxmi
Hindu Vachan Mandir was the Guest of Honour.
Also present were Sameer A. Salgaocar AICF
Vice President and GSCA President, Suhas
Asnodkar GSCA Secretary, Narayan Pednekar and
Arvind Mhamal GSCA Joint Secretary.

Prizes worth Rs. 9500/- and trophies were
given to the winners.
Anurag Mhamal, Pranav Zantye, Niraj Saripalli
and Anirudh Bhat in the boys section, whereas
Sampada Barve & Ivana Furtado will represent
Goa for U-13 girls section in the upcoming
Nationals to be held at Vellore, Chennai
from 13th to 22nd Nov. 2008.


(courtesy- Arvind Mhamal, Jt. Secretary, GSCA)