Ishant Kumar of Dhanbad claimed the state under-14 championship, part of the online chess festival.

Ishant Kumar and Adhiraj Mitra of East Singhbhum scored 5.5 points each (out of 7 games) and tied for the top honour. However, Ishant was declared winner on better tie-break. Both made it to the Jharkhand squad for the National Under-14 Open Chess Championship to be played on digital platforms from June 16.

In the under-14 competition for girls, there was a four-way tie between Aditi Raj (Ranchi), Dyuti Chakraborty, Saara Jain and Dishita Dey (all from East Singhbhum) with four points each. Aditi and Dyuti had a better tie-break and got through for the virtual national meet which begins on June 19.

Apart from selected players, others who fulfill the participation criteria, are also allowed to participate in the nationals as a special entry by paying Rs 2500 to All India Chess Federation (AICF) directly by registering online through Federation's website: www.aicf.in. Entry closing day for the open nationals is till 5 pm of June 12 (for boys) and till 5 pm of June 15 (for girls).

Adhiraj, the youngest international Fide-rated chess player in Jharkhand, and Kriti Kumari of East Singhbhum had emerged champions in the state under-18 championship played earlier. Shashwata Paul and Aditi claimed the top slots in the event for the under-16 age group.

The chess festival organised by All Jharkhand Chess Association (AJCA) for under-12 and under-10 age groups is underway.

State chess outfit secretary Neeraj Kumar Mishra said the chess festival gave much-needed opportunity to the players to tune -up for the nationals. "Offline events are out of the scene due to the pandemic and the virtual events were the only way out to keep our players engaged in competitions," Mishra, an International Master, added.

The players representing Jharkhand in the nationals are expected to perform well, he said.