200 players in fray for world junior chess

More than 200 chess player from 45 countries are in the fray at the World Junior Chess Championships starting here Monday.

Around 135 players in the open category and over 75 girls from over 45 countries will battle it out for the coveted title of World Junior Champion and World Junior Girls Champion, respectively, and stake the sole qualifying slot in both sections for the forthcoming World Cup which is part of the World Championship Cycle. The winners would also take home cash prizes amounting to Rs.600,000.

As a special recognition, the best Indian performer in both the sections will be presented with the Pune Mayor's trophy. Apart from the titles, there will be GM, IM, WGM and WIM norms at stake for players performing creditably to meet the technical requirements.

"It is indeed a moment of great pride for me and my entire team to organise this Championship for the first time in Maharashtra. MCA has been carrying out various initiatives for the development of the game of chess in the state," said Ashok Jain, president, Maharashtra Chess Association (MCA).

The tournament will conducted in the Swiss League format, comprising of 13 rounds with one round scheduled each day.

The WJCC-2014 is being jointly organized by the MCA and Pune District Chess Circle (PDCC) under the auspices of AICF (All India Chess Federation) and world body FIDE.