Khordha boy Manish Mishra and Cuttack girl E Divya won the two titles in the Odisha State Under-9 Chess Championship, which was organised by Cuttack District Chess Association (CDCA), under the aegis of All Odisha Chess Association (AOCA) at Barabati Stadium in Cuttack on 5 and 6 August 2023.
Manish emerged champion in open category, scoring seven points, while his Khordha team-mate, Sattwik Swain finished runner-up with six points. Divya won the girls title with 6.5 points to her name, while Aarshiya Sahu (Khordha) settled as runner-up with six points.
Top two finishers in each category qualified to represent Odisha in the National Under-9 Chess Championship, scheduled to be held Jharkhand from 15 to 23 November 2023.
Title winners received cash award of Rs 2,500 each. Odia film star Siddhant Mohapatra, Odisha chess Grandmaster Debashis Das, Odisha Olympic Association secretary Avijit Paul, AOCA secretary Debabrata Bhatta, CDCA president Vivek Tibarewal, vice-president Prasant Kumar, secretary Ajaya Kumar Nayak, joint-secretary Tapas Mohanty and chief arbiter Nihar Ranjan Sasmal were present at the prize-distribution ceremony.
FINAL RANKINGS (Top 10):
BOYS: 1. Manish Mishra (Khordha, 7 pts), 2. Sattwik Swain (Khordha, 6), 3. Dhanuj A (Jagatsinghpur, 6), 4. Gagnesh Rao G (Cuttack, 6), 5. Advik Aditya Swain (Cuttack, 6), 6. Debapriya Biswal (Sundargarh, 5.5), 7. Shreyansh Das (Cuttack, 5.5), 8. Satyajeet Senapati (Khordha, 5.5), 9. Mrigank Sekhar Das (Khordha, 5.5), 10. Jitesh Samal (Cuttack, 5).
GIRLS: 1. E Divya (Cuttack, 6.5 pts), 2. Aarshiya Sahu (Khordha, 6), 3. Arnica Dash (Khordha, 5.5), 4. Shrejal Senapati (Khordha, 5), 5. Janvi Mishra (Dhenkanal, 5), 6. Akshata Mishra (Cuttack, 5), 7. Samina Swain (Cuttack, 4.5), 8. Prerna Priyambada Behera (Cuttack, 4.5), 9. Aditi Moharana (Khordha, 4.5), 10. Aadyashree Panda (Khordha, 4.5).
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PHOTO: Prize winners, guests and organising officials at the presentation ceremony in Cuttack on 6 August 2023.