Nagpur’s Shaunak Badole Wins Two State Chess Titles
In an impressive display of skill, Shaunak Badole, the current National U-13 Champion, secured both the Rapid and Blitz titles at the GH Raisoni Memorial Maharashtra State selection chess tournament, which took place at Shraddha Park on Sunday.
In the Rapid tournament, Shaunak shone brightly, remaining unbeaten throughout the competition. He scored an impressive 8.5 points out of a possible nine in this nine-round event. Coming in second place was FM Siddhant Gawai from Nagpur, who managed to gather eight points. Three players, Yuval Suil Mohurle, Jay Sawalakhe, and Gaurav Balkiwal, finished close behind with 7.5 points each. However, it was Suil’s tie-break score that secured him a spot on the podium.
The Blitz tournament saw Shaunak continue his winning streak, achieving a perfect score by winning all nine of his matches. Kushgra Patel and Jay Sawalakhe took home the silver and bronze medals, respectively.
The day wrapped up with a prize distribution ceremony, attended by notable figures including Shekahr Suryawanshi, Jayant Katdare, Bhushan Shriwas, and Ajinkya Pingale, among others. The top two players from both the Rapid and Blitz tournaments will now represent Maharashtra at the upcoming national championship.
