Chakravarthi Reddy wins 6th Keshabananda Das Memorial

by Subhasis Pattnaik - 04/05/2017

The 6th Keshabananda Das Memorial tournament 2017 saw one grandmaster and three International Masters take part in a field of 255 players. IM M.Chakravarthi Reddy went back home with the first prize of Rs.50,000 along with winner's trophy. Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury finished second and Al.Muthaiah third. This tournament is one of the first ones that we reported about on our newspage back in 2015. Tournament director and secretary of Khorda District Subhasis Pattnaik sends us a pictorial report.

6th Keshabananda Das Memorial FIDE All India rating championship 2017

Late Mr. Keshabananda Das

Keshabananda Das Memorial All India FIDE Rating chess championship has been conducted since 2012 in the memory of Keshabananda Das. He was the father figure of chess in Odisha with his contribution as a player as a writer and as a mentor for many a chess players. Khordha District Chess Association chose the name of All India FIDE Rating chess championship as Keshabananda Das Memorial All India FIDE Rating chess championship after late Keshabananda Das for the following reasons:

He was the first Odia to organize two National tournaments in Odisha. These are National-B in 1974 at OUAT in Bhubaneshwar amd National-A in 1975 at Rourkela.
He was the first author to write a book on chess in Odia language in 1982 for the benefit of Odia chess players and chess lovers.
He had produced many chess players and chess organizers due to his untiring efforts to promote chess in the state.
He was the first person from Orissa to invite a Soviet and Russian chess coach Yuri Averbakh to the state in 1974 to popularize chess in our state. Averbakh played a simultaneous match against 30 players of our state at Bhubaneswar. Averbakh won 26 and drew 4 players at that match. Yuri Averbakh is a renowned endgame specialist and an author of several world renowned books.

The much awaited 6th Keshabananda Das Memorial All India FIDE Rating Chess Championship 2017 took place in the Hotel Empires, Bhubaneswar from 5th to 9th of April 2017 with a total prize fund of Rs. 5 Lakhs. It was a 9 round Swiss event played over 5 days. In the introduction Organising Secretary Sri Subhasis Patnaik, Secretary of Khordha District Chess Association eulogized the legacy and vision of Keshabananda Das.

The championship attracted 255 players including one grandmaster, 3 International Masters, 193 rated players and 62 unrated players. By participating in this championship many promising players increased their ratings besides being exposed to high quality standard of chess playing atmosphere. Many so called lower rated players, who participated with reluctance, exhibited their potential caliber never tested earlier against superior players and in fact some of them were found locked with far superior rated players giving them inspiration and motivational power for their future performance. Some of them drew and many of them could score upsets. In fact it is worth remembering 3rd World Chess Champion Jose Raul Capablanca’s saying, "You will have to lose hundred of games before becoming a good player."

The top boards of the tournament

Players, audiences and arbiters were all in praise for the discipline and atmosphere in the tournament. The players have openly expressed to make it a point to participate this annual tournament every year in the future.

Mahindra & Mahindra was the Platinum sponsor of the championship

Overall the tournament was incredibly hard fought, with battles, blunders, deep preparations, opening surprises and basically everything that fuels a fantastic event. IM M Chakravarthi Reddy of Telengana won the tournament outright by drawing his last round game against GM Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury. Reddy won the event by scoring 8 points from 9 rounds and grabbed the first prize of Rs. 50,000/.