Riaan Ritesh Jham and Avika Rathi clinched titles in the Under-7 category, while Sai Sharma and Shraddha Bajaj emerged as champions in the Under-17 category at the Nagpur District Chess Championship 2025. The tournament was organized by Chess Association Nagpur in association with G.H. Raisoni Sports and Cultural Foundation, MKH Sancheti Group, and Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation at Vivekanand Hall, Shraddha House, Kingsway, Near Kasturchand Park, Nagpur, on March 23, 2025.
Riaan dominated the Under-7 Open category with a perfect score of 6 points out of 6, securing a clear victory. Nihansh Khode and Dhruv Daswani scored 5 points each and were placed second and third, respectively, based on tie-break scores.
In the Under-7 Girls category, Avika Rathi and Aasawari Arvind Akinwar both scored 5 points each. After the tie-break, Avika was declared the champion.
In the Under-17 Open category, Sai Sharma secured the title with 5.5 points, maintaining a half-point lead over runner-up Yuval Sunil Mohurle, who scored 5 points.
In the Under-17 Girls category, Shraddha Bajaj and Vritika both finished with 5.5 points each. After the tie-break, Shraddha was crowned champion.
The top two finishers in each category—Riaan Ritesh Jham, Nihansh Khode, Avika Rathi, Aasawari Arvind Akinwar, Sai Sharma, Yuval Sunil Mohurle, Shraddha Bajaj, and Vritika—have been selected to represent Nagpur district in the upcoming Maharashtra State Under-7 and Under-17 Open & Girls Chess Championship 2025.
Prizes were distributed by Dr. Praveen Kaur, Administration Head, MKH Sancheti Group, in the presence of Shri Bhushan Shriwas, Secretary, Chess Association Nagpur, and IA Shiva Iyer. The event was conducted by Shyam Agrawal.
For the first time, the Nagpur District Selection Chess Championship introduced cash prizes, sponsored by MKH Sancheti Group. The winner received ₹2,000, while the runner-up received ₹1,000, along with a trophy. The top five finishers in both Open and Girls categories were awarded cash prizes and trophies, while medals were given to the top three players in the Under-11, Under-9, and Under-7 age groups.
FA Shiva Iyer was the Chief Arbiter, assisted by FA Amit Tembhurne, SNA Prayas Ambade, SNA Akash Rewatkar, and Shyam Agrawal.
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