Team Herald
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HARMAL: Harsh Nagvekar emerged as the undefeated champion by scoring seven out of seven rounds at the Pednem Taluka Level Rapid Chess Championship organised by the Pednem Taluka Chess Association in collaboration with Harmal Sarvajanik Ganesh Mandal at the Harmal Hall, here, recently.
Varad Nagvekar secured the runner-up position with 6 points, while Vaishnavi Parab also scored 6 points, claiming the third place based on tie-breaks.
Other prize winners were Vinay Sutar, Peter D’Souza, Raunak Tari, Vasant V Naik, Siddhi Naik, Manthan Polji and Sahil Kanolkar.
In addition to the overall rankings, category prizes were also awarded, recognising talent across different age and skill groups.
The tournament was efficiently conducted by Arbiters Umesh Naik and Nilesh Dhargalkar.
During the inaugural address, Subhash Parsekar, president of the Pednem Taluka Chess Association, welcomed all players and congratulated their parents for their active involvement. He highlighted the growth of chess in the region, noting that Pednem Taluka currently has around 300 active players, with a goal to increase this number to 600 over the next two years.
The event received tremendous support from local dignitaries and volunteers. Harmal Ganesh Mandal President Bharat Vast, sports in-charge Sushant Naik Ramji, Suhas Gawde, Prabhakar Shetye, Umesh Ajgaonkar, Sidhi Mayekar, Chandra Saval Desai, Vijay Parab and Vasant Naik played key roles in ensuring the tournament’s success.