Kiran Manisha Mohanty, the first Woman Grandmaster (WGM) of Odisha, has been named as the coach of the Indian women team for the Asian Continental Chess Championship, which is slated to take place at Baluan Sholak Sports Palace in Almaty, Kazakhstan from 3 to 12 June 2023.

This will be the first international assignment for Kiran as coach. She has the reputation of winning medals at the Asian and Commonwealth Chess Championships. Employee of Life Insurance Corporation of India, 34-year-old Kiran is also known as the first Woman International Master (WIM) of Odisha.

Speaking to orisports.com on her new role as coach of the National women team, Bhubaneswar-based Kiran said, “I am thankful to All India Chess Federation for choosing me as the coach of the Indian women team. This is my first international assignment as coach and I will try my best live upto the expectation of the AICF.”

The nine-round Asian Continental Championship will feature competition in Open and Women categories. Top four finishers in the Open category and the top two in the women category will qualify for the FIDE World Cup, scheduled to take place in Baku (Azerbaijan) from 29 July to 26 August 2023.