NEW DELHI: With Rs. 15 lakh as prize-money,

01/12/09

Sporty India Updated

NEW DELHI: With Rs. 15 lakh as prize-money, the inaugural Delhi Open All India chess tournament is set to be the richest ever in the game in the country. Ironically, the event might well be without a single rated player since it does not enjoy All India Chess Federation’s sanction.
The organiser, the newly-formed Chess Association of India (CAI), intends to hold the ambitious mega-event at the Sadhu Vaswani International School for girls, Shanti Niketan, from December 23 to 29.

“We are registered under the Societies Act and do not require any recognition from any other authority,” declared CAI’s President Naveen Wal at a press conference here on Monday.

“The new body is committed to organise tournaments all over the country with a minimum prize-money of Rs. 5 lakh and the maximum going up to Rs. 25 lakh in the Piloo Mody tournament scheduled for December next.”
The Organising Secretary D. K. Gupta expected over 500 entries for the 10-round competition that offers 80 cash prizes, including Rs. 3 lakh to the winner, Rs. 1.50 lakh for the runner-up, Rs. 1 lakh for the third-placed.

In addition, six prizes ranging from Rs. 5000 to Rs. 1,000 will be awarded for women and each of the four age-group categories.
Entry fee has been fixed at Rs. 1000 that includes dormitory accommodation for the outstation players. The CAI, with affiliated units in 18 states, was mobilising resources to take the number of entries past the 500 mark.

Meanwhile, Delhi Chess Association (DCA) secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan, who is also the AICF treasurer, made it clear that all registered players of the AICF and DCA had been asked to stay away from the tournament.

“I am all for chess activities. But in this case, Organising Secretary D.K. Gupta is serving a six-year ban (by the AICF) after being found guilty of manipulating results in one of the rated tournaments he organised in 2006.
The AICF cannot recognise any activity from a player/organiser not cleared by it,” he maintained.
Didar, Sandeep strike

A goal each from Didar Singh and Sandeep Singh in a space of five minutes towards the end helped Indian Oil defeat Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) 2-0 in a quarterfinal league match of the 20th Lal Baadur Shastri hockey tournament at the Nehru Stadium in Guargaon on Monday.

In another match, Air India grounded the high flying Namdhari XI, that had recently emerged as a joint winner in the Nehru tournament in Chandigarh, with a 3-0 defeat.
Vikas Pillay, Amir Khan and Joga Singh scored the goals in the second half, after the teams were locked goalless in the first.

Punjab National Bank and South Central Railway played out a 1-1 draw. Satpal equalised for the bank team in the tenth minute, after the Railway team had shot ahead in the sixth minute following a goal by K.K. Bharath.
Sarthak shines

Sarthak Singhal scored 28 points to take Bal Bharati Public School to a 56-46 victory over Laxman Public School in the 25th Daulatram memorial basketball tournament at the New Green Field School courts, Saket, on Monday.

The results:
ITL Public School 61 (Sanchit Bhutani 22) bt Masoic Public School 44 (Sanchit 16).
Army Public School 44 (Adhiraj 20) bt Amity International School, Noida, 36 (A. Singh 14).
New Green Field School Hostel 39 (Abhimanyu Negi 15) bt Upras Vidyalaya 29 (Karan Vijay 14).
St. George’s School 53 (Manish Chaudhary 23) bt New Green Field School, Alaknanda, 39 (Chander Mohan 15).
Bal Bharati Public School 56 (Sarthak Singhal 28) bt Laxman Public School 46 (David Khias 20).