Local favourites Smaraki Mohanty maintained her supremacy in the Odisha State Women Chess Championship, winning the title for the fifth time in a row and seventh time overall at Hotel River View in Kendrapara today. She scored 4.5 points out of a possible five, winning four games and drawing one.

Bhubaneswar girl Yashita Rout, who held Smaraki to draw in the fifth and last round, finished runner-up with four points. Prakruti Rout and Aishwarya Sahoo (both Cuttack) claimed the third and fourth positions respectively in the final rankings. The top four finishers qualified to represent Odisha in the National Women Chess Championship, scheduled to be held at Jaipur, Rajasthan from November 18 to 26, 2018.

A total of 24 players from Cuttack, Khurda, Ganjam and Kendrapara districts participated in the two-day state championship. Kendrapara District Chess Association (KDCA) organised the tournament for the fourth successive time in the memory of former minister Nalinikanta Mohanty.

Former minister Ganeswar Behera inaugurated the tournament, while Aul MLA Debendra Sharma graced the closing ceremony as chief guest. Rajnagar MLA Anshuman Mohanty, eminent chess coach Satyaranjan Pattnaik, international arbiter Suresh Chandra Sahoo, Nalikanta Mohanty Foundation trusty Rakesh Mohanty, KDCA working president Hadibandhu Singh and secretary Bhabesh Mohanty were present on the occasion.

FINAL RANKINGS (Top 10): 1. Smaraki Mohanty (Kendrapara, 4.5), 2. Yashita Rout (Khordha, 4), 3. Prakruti Rout (Cuttack, 4), 4. Aishwarya Sahoo (Cuttack, 4), 5. Ananya Anamika (Khurda, 3.5), 6. Krushna Mishra (Khorda, 3), 7. Simi Sikruti (Cuttack, 3), 8. Dibyashrita Swain (Cuttack, 3), 9. Sai Samprada Mohanty (Cuttack, 3), 10. Rasmita Kumari Patro (Ganjam, 3).
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PHOTO: Top four prize winners with guests and tournament officials at the closing ceremony in Kendrapara on Nov 4, 2018.