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Host KIIT University lifted the trophy in the 18th National Cities Team Chess Championship, which was held at smart village Kalarabanka in Jagatsinghpur district of Odisha from August 6 to 9, 2017. The KIIT team, consisting of IM Swayams Mishra, IM Sekhar Chandra Sahu, WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty, Utkal Ranjan Sahoo and WFM Saina Salonika finished at the top of the table with a total of 22.5 points from seven rounds of four games each.
Out of their 28 games, KIIT won 21, drew three and lost four. KIIT defeated Cuttack-2 (Odisha) 4-0, Puri-Junior (Odisha) 3-1, Bhubaneswar-1 (Odisha) 2.5-1.5, Cuttack-Senior (Odisha) 4-0, Puri-Senior (Odisha) 3.5-0.5, Kolkata-2 3.5-0.5 and drew with Kolkata-1 2-2.
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Among the five KIIT players, Kiran Manisha Mohanty was most successful, winning all of her seven games. Second most successful was Utkal Ranjan Sahoo, who won five and drew two. Sekhar Sahu also played full seven games, out of which he won five and lost two. Swayams Mishra, their highest ranked player, won all three games he played, while lowest-ranked Saina Salonika won one, lost two and drew out of the four games she was involved.
Puri-Senior team, comprising Rajesh Nayak (5), Baivab Mishra ((5.5), Rajat Kumar Sahoo (4.5), Lochan Kumar Das (2.5) and Ashis Pattnaik (0.5), settled as runners-up with 18 points from 13 wins and five draws. Team-wise Puri Seniors beat Jagatsinghpur (Odisha) 2.5-1.5, KISS (Odisha) 3-1, Patna-C (Bihar) 4-0, Bhubaneswar-1 (Odisha) 2.5-1.5 and Kolkata-1 3.5-0.5; drew Cuttack-Seniors (Odisha) 2-2 and lost to KIIT 0.5-3.5.Â
Kolkata-2 and KISS (Odisha) occupied the third and fourth positions in the final placings with 19 and 18.5 points respectively. The Kalinga Institute of Social Sciences (KISS) team, featuring Tapan Badamundi, Sajan Kumar Nayak, Mahindra Karjee and Goura Hari Mohapatra, won 16 games, drew five and lost seven.
Champion KIIT University received a cash prize of Rs 25,000, while runners-up Puri Seniors were given Rs 15,000. Kolkata-2 and KISS got the third and fourth prizes of Rs 10,000 and Rs 5,000 respectively. The top four teams qualified to compete in the Asian Cities Chess Championship, scheduled to be held at KIIT University from August 26 to September 1, 2017.
As many as 30 city teams including 16 from Odisha participated in the tournament. Odisha Higher Education Minister Ananta Narayan Das, Sports Minister Chandra Sarathi Behera, Odisha Public Service Commission member Brig Laxmi Charan Patnaik and KIIT and KISS founder Dr Achyuta Samanata handed over the trophies and prizes in the closing ceremony.
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TOP: KIIT team (L to R) Utkal Ranjan Sahoo, Sekhar Sahu, Swayams Mishra, Saina Salonika and Kiran Manisha Mohanty with the champions’ trophy at Kalarabanka on August 9, 2017.
RIGHT: Fourth-place finishers KISS team with KIIT and KISS founder Dr Achyuta Samanta at Kalarabanka on August 9, 2017.
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