He scores 7.5 out of possible 8 points

Ponda: Anish Naik emerged as the champion of the Ponda Taluka level open rapid chess tournament by scoring an impressive 7.5 out of 8 points. The tournament, organized by the Ponda Taluka Chess Association (P.T.C.A.) under the auspices of the Goa Chess Ad-Hoc Committee, was held at Wagle High school, Mangeshi.

Aston Dias and Netra Savaikar secured the second and third place respectively, while Srilaxmi Kamat, Sachin Gaude, Naasif Khan, Mayank Gaude, Vishwesh Pai, Siddhiraj Gaunkar, Swayam Bambolkar, Nidhi Gaude, Saish Natekar, Swayam Naik, Harsh Kurtikar, and Yoguesh Dalvi secured the 4th to 15th places respectively.

A total of 100 players participated in the tournament, which was officiated by Chief Arbiter Amogh Namshiker.

In addition, the tournament also saw some promising young talent. Riddhi Gaude and Sumedh Shikerkar were named the Best U-13 players, while Arnav Rege and Chetan Kurtikar were declared the Best U-11 players. Avani Sawaikar and Shrisakshi Shet were named the Best U-9 players, and Aarav Naik and Sarthak Naik were declared the Best U-7 players.

The awards ceremony was a grand affair, with certificates and trophies being distributed by Sagar Sakordekar (President, P.T.C.A.), Amogh Namshiker (Secretary, P.T.C.A.), Sandesh Naik (Jt.Secretary, P.T.C.A.), and PTCA Executive members Jaywant Hammanavar and Anand Kurtikar.