JAMMU, Nov 7: Surinder Gupta emerged as the champion of the VCA 8th Open Khelo Jammu Diwali Cup Chess Tournament, which concluded today at Vivek Chess Academy (VCA), Jammu. Aadvik Gupta, Naisha Handoo, Banaj Mahajan and Manushree Nischal secured gold medals in their respective age categories.
A total prize money of Rs 5,700, along with trophies and medals, was distributed among the winners. The prizes were presented by the chief guest, Meenal Gupta, President of the All J&K Chess Association, Commonwealth gold medallist and a former VCA player. She was also the sponsor of the tournament, which was organised under the guidance of Vivek Bharti, Coach and Director of Vivek Chess Academy.
In the Open Category, Surinder Gupta clinched the Diwali Cup with 5.5 points, while Mitansh Magotra secured second place with an equal score of 5.5 points. Avni Sharma finished third with four points. A consolation prize was awarded to visually impaired chess player Devanshu, who also scored four points.
As the top players were tied on points, tie-break matches were conducted to determine the final standings. Surinder faced Mitansh in the tie-break for the first and second positions, while Avni competed against Devanshu for third place. In the decisive matches, Surinder defeated Mitansh to lift the Diwali Cup, while Avni overcame Devanshu to secure third position.
A separate tie-break was also conducted in the Under-10 Boys category between Agastya Bhat and Prajanya Mahajan to decide the second and third positions.
In the Under-13 Boys category, Aadvik Gupta won the gold medal with four points. Gaurav secured silver with 3.5 points, while Keshav claimed the bronze medal with an equal score of 3.5 points.
In the Under-13 Girls category, Naisha Handoo bagged the gold medal with three points. Ruby Kumari secured silver with two points, while Bhargavi won bronze, also scoring two points.
In the Under-10 Boys category, Banaj Mahajan clinched gold with four points. Prajanya Mahajan finished second with 3.5 points, while Agastya Bhat secured third place with the same score following the tie-break.
In the Under-10 Girls category, Manushree Nischal won the gold medal with three points. Raesha secured silver with two points, while Anahita finished third with one point.
One of the major highlights of the tournament was the participation of Devanshu, a visually impaired chess player, who took part in a VCA tournament for the first time. His participation added an important inclusive dimension to the event and highlighted the growing scope of accessible chess.
Explaining the arrangements made for him, VCA Coach and Director Vivek Bharti said that visually impaired players are provided with specialised adaptive chessboards and assistance from another person during their moves. In this tournament, arbiter Stuti Gupta assisted Devanshu during his games.
Amrita Gupta served as the Chief Arbiter of the tournament, while Stuti Gupta assisted her as Deputy Chief Arbiter.
Tournament Results
Open Category: 1st: Surinder Gupta – 5.5 points; 2nd: Mitansh Magotra – 5.5 points; 3rd: Avni Sharma – 4 points; Consolation Prize: Devanshu (Visually Impaired) – 4 points
Under-13 Boys: Gold: Aadvik Gupta – 4 points; Silver: Gaurav – 3.5 points; Bronze: Keshav – 3.5 points
Under-13 Girls: Gold: Naisha Handoo – 3 points; Silver: Ruby Kumari – 2 points; Bronze: Bhargavi – 2 points
Under-10 Boys: Gold: Banaj Mahajan – 4 points; Silver: Prajanya Mahajan – 3.5 points; Bronze: Agastya Bhat – 3.5 points
Under-10 Girls: Gold: Manushree Nischal – 3 points; Silver: Raesha – 2 points; Bronze: Anahita – 1 point
Round-wise Results
The tournament featured six rounds of competitive chess, with players displaying their skills and strategic abilities throughout the event.
Round 1: Mitansh defeated Rithysh; Keshav defeated Banaj; Surinder defeated Manushree; Devanshu defeated Naisha; Aarav received a bye; Prajanya defeated Aditya; Agastya received a bye; Rajdeep defeated Anahita; Triyam defeated Bhargavi; Avni defeated Rudraksh; Aadvik and Gaurav played out a draw; and Aryaveer defeated Ruby.
Round 2: Mitansh defeated Aryaveer; Surinder defeated Avni; Rudraksh and Rithysh played out a draw; Devanshu defeated Keshav; Divyansh defeated Ruby; Agastya defeated Triyam; Aarav defeated Prajanya; Aditya defeated Naisha; Aadvik defeated Rajdeep; Triyansh defeated Manushree; Gaurav defeated Banaj; Bhargavi received a bye; and Anahita received a bye.
Round 3: Mitansh defeated Devanshu; Surinder defeated Aarav; Aadvik defeated Agastya; Avni defeated Triyansh; Gaurav defeated Aditya; Prajanya defeated Bhargavi; Manushree defeated Rithysh; Divyansh defeated Triyam; Keshav defeated Anahita; Naisha defeated Ruby; Banaj defeated Pearl; Rudraksh defeated Raesha; and Rajdeep defeated Aryaveer.
Round 4: Mitansh and Surinder played out a draw; Devanshu defeated Gaurav; Keshav and Aadvik drew their match; Divyansh and Agastya Bhat also played out a draw; Avni defeated Prajanya; Manushree defeated Aditya; Aryaveer defeated Triyam; Rudraksh defeated Anahita; Triyansh defeated Bhargavi; Ruby defeated Raesha; Rithysh defeated Pearl; and Banaj defeated Naisha.
Round 5: Surinder defeated Aadvik; Mitansh defeated Aarav; Devanshu defeated Avni; Gaurav defeated Agastya; Rajdeep defeated Rithysh; Divyansh defeated Rudraksh; Aryaveer defeated Keshav; Prajanya defeated Triyansh; Ruby defeated Anahita; Banaj defeated Manushree; Raesha defeated Pearl; and Naisha defeated Triyam.
Round 6: Surinder defeated Devanshu; Keshav defeated Rudraksh; Mitansh defeated Gaurav; Aadvik defeated Aarav; Banaj defeated Rajdeep; Triyam defeated Pearl; Avni defeated Devanshu; Raesha defeated Anahita; Agastya defeated Aditya; Naisha defeated Triyansh; Bhargavi defeated Rithysh; Manushree defeated Ruby; and Aryaveer and Prajanya played out a draw.
The tournament concluded with the felicitation of the winners and participants, celebrating young sporting talent, competitive spirit and the growing popularity of chess in Jammu. The participation of a visually impaired player also highlighted the importance of making the sport more accessible and inclusive for everyone.
