Action packed start to Tata Steel 4th All India Specially Abled Chess Tournament in Jamshedpur

Jamshedpur, June 25: The Tata Steel 4th All India Specially Abled Chess Tournament commenced at the JRD Tata Sports Complex with 68 participants competing. The tournament, featuring nine rounds of play, runs from 24th to 28th June, with each game allowing 60 minutes plus a 30-second increment per side.

The first round of the event began with great fervor with three rounds of play on the first day, wherein the first round was inaugurated by Arjuna Awardee Pravin Thipsay the 3rd grandmaster of India bearing the weight of 7 times national champion.

Chief Sports Tata Steel Mukul Vinayak Choudhari and Secretary of the East Singhbhum District Chess Association NK Tiwari inaugurated the second round by making the ceremonial first move. This round featured some intense matches, including a dramatic game on board 1 where Rajesh Kumar Jena initially had a winning position against top seed Naveen Kumar of Andhra Pradesh but ultimately lost after a blunder in the endgame.

An unexpected result occurred on board 3, where lower-rated Kanishri of Tamil Nadu held former champion Samarth Rao to a draw. The game, which began with the Queen’s Gambit Declined using the Semi-Slav Defense, saw Kanishri dominate the middle game. Despite Rao’s efforts to press his advantage, he managed only to equalize the position by the end.

Board 7 saw the quickest game of the day, with Kanan V of Tamil Nadu defeating Kumar Dinesh of Uttar Pradesh in just 26 moves using the Sicilian Defense with the black pieces.

The event is overseen by Chief Arbiter International Arbiter Anand Babu and Deputy Chief A. Angappan, a specially-abled wheelchair chess referee.

Tata Steel has organized tours for the players and their guardians on June 26th and 27th, which will include visits to the Centre for Excellence (CFE) and various academies. These tours aim to provide a comprehensive understanding of the city, its culture, and the ecosystem that supports the development of these talented players.