Cuttack: The Cuttack District Chess Association Saturday inaugurated the Cuttack District Senior and State School Chess Competition at Harshagate, Barabati Stadium.
The event began with the ceremonial first move by senior mentor Chaudhary Pradyumna Kumar Mishra. The two-day tournament has attracted a record 246 participants, including 46 international FIDE-rated players from 14 districts of Odisha.
The junior category features 50 girls, while 40 senior players represent the Cuttack district.
Participants range in age from 4 to 72 years, reflecting the inclusive spirit of the competition.
After four rounds of play on Day 1, Topsin Shraddha Sharmika Nanda, Om Surap Pachi, Ishani Das, Subhasish Barik, Sai Pratrisha Behera, and Aditya Das jointly top the junior category with 4 points each.
In the senior category, Ravindra Kumar Ojha leads with 4 points, followed by Harshit Ranjan Sahu with 3.5 points and Nilshu Patnaik in third place with 3 points.
