Ashutosh, Kiran crowned winners at LIC East Central Zonal Chess meet in Hazaribagh

Top four players from each section qualify for All India tournament

Jamshedpur, July 11: The LIC East Central Zonal Chess Tournament 2026 concluded at Hotel Canary Inn, Hazaribagh, after two days of competition held from July 9 to 10. The tournament was organised by the Divisional Sports Committee, LIC, Hazaribagh Division.

Daniel Soren, Manager (P&IR), Hazaribagh Division, served as the Tournament Director. International Arbiter Chandan Kumar Prasad was the Chief Arbiter, while SNA Sucheta Chakraborty officiated as Arbiter.

In the men’s section, Ashutosh Mohapatra of Bhubaneswar emerged champion with six points. Sayed Zulfaqar Ahmed of Cuttack finished second with five points, while Bidhu Bhusan Mishra of Sambalpur secured third place with 3.5 points on tie-break. Himangshu B. Chakraborty of Jamshedpur finished ninth.

In the women’s section, WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty of Bhubaneswar claimed the title with five points. Asha Kumari of Jamshedpur secured second place with three points, while Anjuprava Behera of Cuttack finished third, also with three points on tie-break.

The top four players from both the men’s and women’s sections qualified to represent the East Central Zone at the All India LIC Chess Tournament. The top three finishers in each category were honoured with prizes.