Bhubaneswar girl Ankita Sahoo and Puri boy Jagdish Barik won respective titles in the 64th Odisha State Schools Chess Championship (Under-17 Boys & Girls), which was organised by State Schools Sports Association at Govt Girls High School, Nayagarh on January 4 and 5, 2019.

As many as 66 boys and 33 girls from 17 districts participated in this tournament. Competition featured seven rounds for boys and six for girls. Top five finishers in each category qualified to represent Odisha in the National Under-17 Schools Chess Championship, scheduled to be held in Telangana from January 12, 2019.

Nayagarh District Education Officer Dr Abhay Kumar Mallick, Physical Education Inspector Trinath Sahoo and host school headmistress Gitanjali Sahoo handed over the prizes at the closing ceremony. Tournament chief arbiter Debasis Panigrahi was present on the occasion.

FINAL RANKINGS (Top 5):

GIRLS: 1. Ankita Sahoo, Bhubaneswar (6), 2. Priyanka Pattanaik, Puri (5), 3. Yashaswini Sarangi, Cuttack (4.5), 4. Swetleena Pattanaik, Cuttack (4.5), 5. Deepti Dalai, Ganjam (4.5).

BOYS: 1. Jagdish Barik, Puri (7), 2. Manindra Karjee, Bhubaneswar (6), 3. Swapnil Priyadarshi, Bhubaneswar (5.5), 4. Babula Bhoi, Bhubaneswar (5.5), 5. Bishnu Beshera, Dhenkanal (5.5).
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PHOTO: Prize winners of the State Schools Chess Championship in Nayagarh on Jan 5, 2019.