Tamil Nadu Maintains High Standards
By Arvind Aaron

ITamil Nadu Junior Championship for 2008 will be FIDE rated in both boys and girls for the first time. Announcing this in a press conference at the TNCA Club, Chennai, Prof R. Venkatramani, Director, Faculty Affairs and Campus Life, SRM University said they have admitted over hundred sportsmen in the current year which includes four chess players and only R. Ashwath is yet to decide on the offer.

Tamil Nadu which is a forerunner having decided to FIDE rate its State Men Championship since 1997 has now decided to opt for Elo rating the Junior Championship, said K. Muralimohan, General Secretary of the Tamil Nadu State Chess Association. The State Under-25 and State Women Championships are also FIDE rated. He also said some states in India have followed Tamil Nadu by FIDE rating its State Championships.

"This move to FIDE rate the junior championships will benefit the large number of players in our state," said K. Muralimohan. Nearly half of India's FIDE rated players come from Tamil Nadu itself. Tamil Nadu on its own has more FIDE rated players than all Asian countries and that is significant.

Though rating effect is the high point of this SRM Tamil Nadu State Junior Championship to be held from July 15-21, the atmosphere will be air-conditioned. The 37th SRM Tamil Nadu State Junior (under-19) FIDE Rated Championship for the S. Ramakrishnan Memorial Rolling Trophy and the 22nd SRM Tamil Nadu State Junior Girls Championship for the V.V. Rajamani Memorial Trophy will be held at the SRM University for a prize fund of Rs.40,000.

Prominent among those who have won this event were GM V. Anand (1982), GM R.B. Ramesh (1991, 1992, 1993), GM Magesh Chandran (2001) and WGM S. Vijayalakshmi (1990), WGM S. Meenakshi (1992, 1995).

SRM University who are organising the show on behalf of Mount Chess Academy and Tamil Nadu State Chess Association are anticipating 100 boys and 50 girls to participate. The venue is 15 km from Tambaram, a southern hub of Chennai but it is likely to stimulate other college students to chess. International Arbiter M. Vijaykumar of Chennai will be the chief arbiter. The event will be played over eleven rounds. The event can be followed at www.tamilchess.com and also www.mountchess.com

Sponsors SRM University have a good chess team for the All India Inter-University this time and it is clear they are looking forward to wrest the title from seventeen-time champions University of Madras. Tamil Nadu is maintaining the high standards in chess organising and becomes the first state to FIDE rate its junior championship.


Home                                                            Published on 12^th July, 2008