Media Release

Mangaluru, Jun 19: An inter school chess tournament was held at Loyola Hall on June 17 hosted by St Aloysius Gonzaga School joining hands with the Association of ICSE and CBSE Schools, DK and Udupi Districts.

As many as 344 enthusiastic young chess players from 38 prestigious ICSE and CBSE Schools from DK and Udupi Districts participated in the grand event with players under 14 and under 17 category.

The inaugural function was held at the Loyola Hall, on the campus of St Aloysius PU College. Derick Pinto, director of Derick Chess School was the chief guest. The programme began with the invocation followed by the welcome speech delivered by principal Grace Noronha. Fr Dionysius Vaz SJ, rector, St Aloysius College Institutions presided over the function. Administrator of the School Fr Melwin Mendonca SJ also graced the occasion.

In his presidential address Fr Dionysius Vaz expressed his opinion on the benefits of playing chess. He appreciated the beauty of the game, how it teaches us different skills and qualities on which we can draw in many other areas of our lives and players learn to be compassionate in victory and gracious in defeat.

The tournament was declared open by Derick Pinto. There were five rounds in each category and the winners were honored in the valedictory ceremony held in the evening with Prasanna Rao, administrator, Derick Chess School, as the chief guest. Fr Melwin Mendonca SJ, administrator of St Aloysius PU College and the principal of St Aloysius Gonzaga School were present. While congratulating the students, Fr Melwin Mendonca expressed his views on the game of Chess and said, "Playing chess improves the concentration, logical thinking and facilitates all-round development of students."

The programme was compered by Sangeeta Sequeira. The ceremony ended with the singing of the national anthem.

It was a great opportunity for young Chess players to have the gift of a universal language to make friendship with people from every part of Dakshina Kannada and Udupi districts.

The following were declared as individual and team winners:

Board players - U14    
I - Nidhi Shenoy – St Theresa School, Mangaluru
II - Adithya D’Silva – Lourdes Central School, Mangaluru
III - Athish Shetty – Lourdes Central School, Mangaluru
IV Chahana – SMS English Medium Schol, Brahmavar

Reserve Board - Sandesh Nayak – GM Vidyaniketan Public School

U14 teams
I –  Madhava Kripa English Medium School, Manipal
II – Lourdes Central School, Mangaluru
III – Vidyodaya Public School,Udupi

Board players – U17
I - Shreyas Rai, - Christ School, Manipal
II - Sathvik Kumar Bhat – BRMPCP School,
III - Mihir – Christ School, Manipal
IV - Bhavish Kotian – Dr Ramanna Shetty School, Thokur

Reserve Board – Siddharth – Mount Carmel School, Mangaluru

U17 teams
I - Christ School, Manipal
II – Mount Carmel Central School, Mangaluru
III- Vidyodaya Public School, Udupi