Anurag 1st Goan to qualify for National A chess

PANJIM, AUG 24
Fourteen-year-old Anurag Mhamal of Goa drew a crucial last round match with IM G B Prakash in the National B chess tournament in Kolkata to become the first Goan to qualify for the National A chess championship.
In the last round, Anurag needed a draw while his opponent Prakash (2406) needed a win. Though Prakash had an advantage in the first 30 moves, he failed to capitalize on the same
Prakash castled on the 9th move while Anurag had to castle on the 20th move due to an impending pawn thrust. By the 21st move, Prakash made a couple of weak moves and Anurag exchanged pieces to move into a dynamic endgame of two rooks and three pawns, versus a rook, a knight and four pawns. Anurag was under pressure and had to finally agree to a draw in 59 moves.
Anurag made his intentions clear in the second round when he defeated 11th seed IM Murali Krishnan of RSPB (2404).
In the sixth round, he drew with IM Sudhaker Babu (2345). He lost to IM Suvrajit Saha and IM R Balasubramaniam in the fifth and seventh rounds.
However, in the last four rounds, Anurag won three of his matches beating IM Dinesh Sharma, FIDE master Ramakrishna, and drew with Prakash in the last round.
The President of Goa State Chess Association, Ashish Keni while congratulating Anurag on becoming the first Goan to qualify for the National A stated that Anurag has proved that Goan players have the capacity and tenacity to play and win against top players. He expressed the hope that Goan industrial and corporate houses will come forward to support the training and expenses of young chess players like Anurag, who has the potential not only to become International Masters but also a Grand Master.
At the moment, double world under-8 champion and Asian silver medalist, Ivana Maria Furtado is the only Goan chess player to have been sponsored by the House of Dempo, who have named her as Brand Ambassador, given her excellent credentials, which outshine the rest. Ivana, no doubt, is in a class of her own and being just 10, has a very long future ahead.