ODISHA OPEN AND 15TH INTERNATIONAL GRAND MASTERS CHESS FESTIVAL KICKS OFF AT SOA

Bhubaneswar, Dec. 16: The Odisha Open and 15th International Grandmasters Chess Festival kicked off at the Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan Deemed to be University (SOA) here on Sunday with around 700 participants from 20 countries vying for the top honours.
The tournament was declared open by the former Governor of Andhra Pradesh and Chhatisgarh Mr. Biswabhushan Harichandan.
Expressing his happiness over the enthusiastic participation of players of different age groups, Mr. Harichandan described it as a grand event which would further popularize chess among the masses.
The eight-day tournament, which has a total prize money of Rs. 40 lakh, has been organised by the All Odisha Chess Association (AOCA) in association with SOA and Empreo Group.
Around 120 players with Elo rating of 1900 or more were competing in Category-A while those with Elo rating of less than 1900 were vying for honours in Category-B. Players with Elo rating of less than 1600 were competing in Category-C.
The total prize money in Category-A will be Rs. 25 lakh with a top prize of Rs. 5.5 lakh while the prize money for Category-B and Category-C will be Rs. 7.5 lakh each.
Mr. Babu Singh, MLA, also attended the inaugural program as Guest of Honour. Those who were present during the ceremony were Dr. Abinash Samal, Chairman of the Organising Committee for the tournament and Managing Director of Empreo Group, Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Co-Chairman of the Organising Committee and Dean (Students’ Welfare) of SOA, Mr. Debabrata Bhatta, Secretary of AOCA and Tournament Director, Mr. Shankar Prasad Mishra, Treasurer of AOCA and Ms. Sunita Barma, Sports Officer of SOA.