Fiji Chess Federation Open Championship

Fiji Chess Federation open championshipManoj Kumar
Thursday, February 17, 2011

THE Fiji Chess Federation will be holding the 20th Kundan Singh Open Chess Championship on Sunday at the Pasifika Campus, School of Medicine, in Suva.

Kundan Singh and Sons has shown great enthusiasm in the promotion and sponsorship of chess in Fiji over the past years and this year marks a milestone in their continued effort to develop chess as a sport in Fiji.

As Oceania Zonal tournament has concluded in Rotorua NZ, local chess enthusiasts are looking forward to the first open competition of the year.

There will be several special ratings category for this championship along with various other prizes including Females, Beginners, Primary and Secondary Schools, Amateurs and Elite including a best-upset prize.

The field for this tournament includes four-time defending and national champion Manoj Kumar, national representatives Dr. Neel Arora, defending champion Calvin Prasad and Christopher Kumar. There is hope that players from the Nadi Chess Club would also be participating and making the tournament even stronger.

The Amateurs category will feature upcoming players like Wayne Areki, Samuel Prasad, Navneel Kumar, Rahul Sharma, Patrick Prasad and upcoming Female prospect Reshmita Singh.

And the Juniors will see the underdog Jackie, Claudia, Kelvin Prasad and Chuki Kado.

"This is the kick start of the year. 2011 has a lot instore for all the chess enthusiast." said general secretary Krishneel Nair.

"There are some new events and a few new items included in this year's chess calendar. It was good to see Nadi Chess Club being an affiliate of th Fiji Chess Federation for the last couple of years. This only shows that this mindgame will reach newer heights. The interest also lies in the other districts and in a large number of secondary schools."

"We are very grateful to our President Dr. De Asa to secure the hosting of the next Oceania Zonal in Fiji." Nair added.

"This event will tak place in 2013, and we are hoping to see more local participation this time around. I personally would like to encourage the youngsters of today as the potential lies in them."

With a very busy chess calendar for 2011 and Grand Prix points at stake, the Fiji Chess Federation is looking forward to an ominous beginning.

Krishneel Nair - Fiji Chess Federation

Source: http://www.fijitimes.com