Mumbai Mayor's Cup school chess tournament on October 24 and 25, with 135 prizes on offer

A major chess tournament for schoolchildren is coming to Mumbai. The Mumbai Mayor's Cup under-14 school chess tournament for boys and girls will be held on October 24 and 25. It is jointly organised by Ideal Sports Academy and the Anandrao Adsul Charitable Trust.

The venue is the air-conditioned hall of the Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh (RMMS) in Parel. Play will be held in nine age groups, with 135 prizes across all groups, which means 15 prizes in each age group. Boys and girls from age six up to under-14 can take part in these nine groups.

The Mumbai City District Chess Association, the Mumbai Mayor, the Co-operative Bank Employees Union, Mumbai, and the Rashtriya Mill Mazdoor Sangh are also supporting the tournament.

The format is Swiss league, with a minimum of four rounds. Each round will have 15 minutes per player, with an additional three seconds (increment) added for every move. Organisers will provide the chess boards and clocks, so players do not need to bring their own.

Anandrao Adsul, chairman of the tournament organising committee, said that a player who wins first prize in three groups and completes a hat-trick will be honoured with a special award.

As part of preparations for the tournament, a free chess preparatory activity was held at the BMC school in Sainagar, Kandivali West. Players from the school responded enthusiastically under the guidance of chess coach Dr Siddhesh Nar, headmaster Sandipan Ghule, sports teacher Sunil Khopkar and Shiv Chhatrapati Award winner Liladhar Chavan.

Those who wish to take part can contact Rajababu Gajengi or Pramod Parte, secretaries of the Mumbai City District Chess Association, for entry forms and more information by October 22, the organisers have appealed. Those who want to take part must get in touch by this date.