BHUBANESWAR 15-Jul-2013 245
Odisha girl Aparajita Gochhikar added one more feather to her cap by winning a silver medal in under-20 category of the Commonwealth Chess Championship, which concluded at Port Elizabeth in South Africa yesterday.
An MBA student of Bhubaneswar-based KIIT University, Aparajita beat Mofokeng Rasweu of South Africa in the 11th and last round to finish with six points. Grobellor Jasqui (South Africa), who also garnered six points, bagged the gold, pipping Aparajita on Buchholz tie-break score.
Overall, Aparajita occupied the 110th position in a field of 314 players from 17 countries, winning five games, losing four and drawing the remaining two. She received the medal from South Africa President Jacob Zuma.
This was the third Commonwealth medal for Aparajita, who hails from Puri. She had claimed her first Commonwealth medal _ a gold in u-18 girls category _ at Johannesburga, South Africa, in July, 2011 and the second _ a silver in u-20 girls category _ at Chennai in December, 2012.
WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty, the second player in the fray from Odisha, finished 28th in the final standings, securing 7.5 points with seven wins, three defeats and one draw. An employee of Life Insurance Corporation of India, Kiran was in the race for a medal in women`s category but squandered the opportunity by going down to GM Musunuri Rohit Lalith (India) in the final round.
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PHOTO: Aparajita Gochhikar at the Commonwealth Chess Championship in Port Elizabeth (South Africa).
