BHUBANESWAR 03-Mar-2014 127
Odisha school boy Soundarya Pradhan qualified to represent India in the World Chess Championship for the Blind by finishing third in the 10th National `A` Chess Championship for the Blind, which concluded at Vasai in Mumbai today.
Olympiad gold medallist Kishan Gangolli (Karnataka) retained the title, while World bronze medallist Darpan Irani (Gujarat) ended runner-up. Both Gangolli and Irani tied for the top spot with 10 points each. But the formed retained the title for the second time in a row, pipping the latter in tie-breaker.
In the 12-round round-robin league, 14-year-old Soundarya, the youngest among 13 players in the field, secured eight points with seven wins, two draws and three defeats. He forced Irani to a draw but lost to Gangolli in the last round.
Krishna Udupa (Karnataka) finished fourth with 7.5 points. The top four qualified to represent the country in the World championship to be held in Greece in May this year.
Soundarya’s elder brother Prachurya secured the eighth position with 5.5 points. He won five games, lost five, gave one walk-over and drew one.
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PHOTO: Top four finishers (L to R) Krishna Udupa, Soundarya Pradhan, Darpan Irani and Kishan Gangolli in Mumbai on February 3, 2014.
