Sradhanjali emerges state women chess champion

Jajpur girl Sradhanjali Jena held WFM Rutumbara Bidhar to a draw in the sixth and last round to win the title with a total of 5.5 points in the Odisha State Women Chess Championship, which concluded at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack today.
On her way to the title, which fetched her a cash prize of Rs 1,800, Sradhanjali caused a major upset in the fourth round by outwitting top seed Smaraki Mohanty (Kendrapara), who finished third. Puri pair of Aparajita Gochhikar (Puri) and Anisha Mishra secured the second and fourth positions respectively with five points apiece.
Odisha Olympic Association secretary Asirbad Behera gave away the prizes in the closing function. The top four finishers of the two-day state championship qualified to represent Odisha in the Women Challenger National Championship to be held at Thrissur in Kerala from July 25 to August 3.
Final standings (Top 10): 1. Sradhanjali Jena (5.5), 2. Aparajita Gochhikar (5), 3. Smaraki Mohanty (5), 4. Anisha Mishra (5), 5. Rutumbara Bidhar (4.5), 6. Anantyoya Chatterjee (4.5), 7. Swayasi Sthitaprajna (4), 8. Shreejita Khuntia (4), 9. Anwesha Mishra (4), 10. Pratyusha Panda (4).