BHUBANESWAR 19-Dec-2012 230
Three girls from Odisha bagged a total of five medals in the 8th Asian Schools Chess Championship, which concluded at Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi today. Medals included three gold, one silver and one bronze. Woman Candidate Master Saina Salonika bagged a gold each in under-9 girls` standard and blitz categores, Smaraki Mohanty secured a gold in under-15 girls’ rapid and a silver in standard groups, while Woman Fide Master Rutumbara Bidhar claimed a bronze in under-11 girls’ standard section.
In the standard format, third seed Saina, a standard-IV student of St Joseph`s High School, Bhubaneswar, topped the table with eight points from nine rounds. She won seven games and drew the remaining two. This was Saina`s second international medal of the year following a gold in the under-10 girls category of the Commonwealth Championship at Chennai earlier this month.
Top seed Smaraki finished second with five points from seven rounds, winning three and drawing five games. Second seed Rutumbara occupied the third position with seven points from nine rounds. She won five games and drew four. All three medal winners of Odisha remained unbeaten throughout the championship.
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PHOTO: Odisha medal winners (Left to right) Rutumbara Bidhar, Smaraki Mohanty and Saina Salonika in Delhi on December 19, 2012.
