Green Earth Chess: Bharti wins title, Ujjwal Jr. champion, Hrothbertina Best Woman

English teacher from Azamgarh, Vishal Bharti, displayed fine endgame technique to win the Green Earth Chess Tournament at Charans Plaza with 6.5/7 points. Ujjwal Raj Srivastava starred in the Junior Section scoring 6/7 points.

Chess Club Black & White (CCBW) organised the tournament to create awareness about the need to protect our environment under the United Nations #GenerationRestoration campaign. All players were also gifted a Holy Basil plant.

Youngsters who impressed with their games but included Udit Gupta, Nikhar Saxena and Shivangi.

A Class VIII student, Ujjwal has Espina Bífida, a spinal problem, that has paralysed him for life. It was only in 2012 that a surgery at AIIMS Delhi helped him move his hands and fingers. His parents carry him to the stage to receive the prize. He started learning chess from his school games teacher, Amit Srivastava. "Ujjwal has great passion for chess and works hard by himself. If he can do this, then any kid can," say his parents Rajneesh and Anamika.

Bharti says, "I hail from the culturally rich town of Azamgarh. As a dedicated teacher and trainer of English, I have a passion for nurturing minds and fostering a love for the English language. Chess is not just a hobby for me; it's a profound passion that I pursue with great dedication. Although, Azamgarh is my home, Lucknow holds a special place in my heart. Many of my family members reside here, and I've been visiting the city regularly since 2013. I embrace every opportunity to immerse myself in the strategic world of chess, constantly seeking to refine my skills and enjoy the intellectual challenge it offers."

Chinmay Vajpayee was tournament runner-up with 5 points. U16 section runner-up was Tanish Kumar with 5.5 points. Veterans KK Khare, Sayeed Ahmad (4 points each) took the top honours in the Veterans +60 section followed by Rajinder Mahana and Mohd Irfan in joint third place with 3 points each. Kamlesh Kumar Kesharwani scored 2.5 in the section.

Hrothbertina Hilton won the women's section followed by Rekha Gaur and Vinky Dixit. The top-3 Best Unrated players were Neeraj Chaurasiya (4.5 points), Aarav Garg and Sanjeev Kumar, 4 points each.

The Best Family prize (introduced by CCBW) went to the Mishra Family from Lakhimpur which included CP Mishra and his kids Yash and Yashasvi. They were followed by Ashish Kumar and his sons Ishit and Ishaan. Chess Club Black & White promotes chess as a family game to help children stay away from screens and instead acquire life skills from chess. As a heat wave sweeps North India, it is the best time to stay indoors and play chess say club members. 

(Above) the Kumar family from Lucknow and the Mishra family from Lucknow. 

Top Results
1. Vishal Bharti (Azamgarh) 6.5 points, 2. Chinmay Vajpayee 5.5 points 3-6. Saurabh Yadav, Sanjay Kumar Bajpai, CP Mishra (Lakhimpur), Prem Singh Mehta 5 points

Junior Section Results

U10 1st Suyash Shukla (Lakhimpur) 5.5 points 2nd Yash Prakash Mishra (Lakhimpur) 5 points 3rd Vardhan Gupta (Lakhimpur) 4.5 points.

U13 1-3rd Ayush Goswami, Ishaan Kumar, Saksham Srivastava 5 points each

U16 Ariz Hussain 5 points, Shaurya Singh Chauhan 4 points.

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