A matter of wits

“The main aim of the tourney was to give young children a chance to play with seeded players so that they can hone their game,” says Jayant Gokhale,organiser of the tournament,which has been going on for the last 29 weeks. Started on March 22 this year the tournament,which is a weekly affair features seeded players who play against unseeded amateurs. The tournament is also sponsored by the Pune District Chess Association and is a ranking tournament. “The best part about the tournament is the fact that the players don’t have to waste money to go and play ranking tournament in other places. They can do so playing in the city,” says Gokhale who is a chess player and an international master himself.

The total prize money for the entire tournament that will last for 52 Sundays is Rs 1,32000 that has been raised by Gokhale’s friends and family members. “Every week we give a weekly prize of Rs 25,00 to the winners and the first runner up,and on the first Sunday of every month the prize money is doubled. One good thing that has come of the tournament is the fact that the players are constantly practicing every week to better themselves. It not only raises their game but also the overall standard of the game,” adds Chandrashekhar Gokhale,his brother,an international master and fellow organiser of the tournament.

While the entry fee every week for the players is Rs 100,close to 40-46 players participate in the tourney every week. “The tournament begins at 9 in the morning and ends at 4.30 pm. It features seven rounds in all. The player with the maximum points at the end of the day wins the competition. Each round is timed at 50 minutes for the players to either score a win,or a draw. While a win gives the player one point,a draw gets 0.5 points and a loss none,” he adds briefing more about the tournament.

As far as the game and its progress goes,Gokhale has some interesting ideas,“People have come forth expressing their desire to start such tournaments in places like Kolhapur,Mumbai,Jalgaon and so on. which is a positive sign. Besides,the main aim of the tournament is to ensure that the players,mainly the children get a chance to play with players,which has been happening till now. We had hoped to give back something to the game which gave us such fame and recognition,and in our own small way,we hope to continue doing the same,not just here,but in other places too.”