Ten-year-old Abhigyan, veteran Saeed Ahmed and Italy-returned Harshit Amarnani among the tournament highlights
Lucknow : Senior chess coach and strong tactical player Pawan Batham, who also serves in the State Tax Department, clinched the title at the CCBW International Chess Day Tournament with a commanding score of 6.5 points. The tournament, organized by Chess Club Black and White (CCBW-Lucknow), was held at a private hotel in Lucknow to commemorate International Chess Day.
Batham remained unbeaten throughout the seven-round tournament and was held to a draw only once—by Saeed Ahmed, the experienced coach from Lucknow Chess Centre and third seed in the tournament. Saeed Ahmed, with a total of 6 points, emerged as the Senior Citizens Champion, showcasing his enduring skills at the board.
In the same senior category, Mohammad Irfan secured second place with 5 points, followed by Ajit Kumar Srivastava in third with 4 points, and R.P. Gupta, who took fourth with 3 points.
A major revelation of the tournament was 10-year-old Abhigyan Katiyar from Modern School, Aliganj, who stunned many by finishing second in the open category with 5 points. Katiyar nearly defeated the champion Batham but faltered under time pressure in a winning position—a testament to both his talent and the learning curve ahead.
In the Above-30 Unrated Category, Sanjeev Kumar took the top spot with 6 points, while the Under-16 Unrated Category saw a three-way tie between Darsh Agrawal (DPS Eldeco), Akarshak Singh (CMS Gomti Nagar II Campus), and Arjun Chaurasia (DPS Eldeco), all scoring 6 points.
The Under-16 Rated Category was dominated by Kartik Agrawal (CMS Aliganj I Campus) with 5.5 points, while Kaustubh Mishra (St. Francis) emerged as the standout performer in the Under-10 Rated Category, also scoring 5.5 points. Both youngsters were praised as rising stars of Lucknow’s chess circuit.
Adding a special spark to the occasion, the club felicitated Harshit Amarnani, who recently triumphed in the Under-2200 category of the Isola del Sole Grado Chess Open in Italy. With a FIDE rating of 2143, Harshit is now the highest-rated chess player from Lucknow. During a special meet-and-greet session, he signed hundreds of autographs and patiently posed for photographs with fans for over an hour.
The tournament concluded with an elegant prize distribution ceremony. Uzma Siddiqui-Kidwai, Principal of Karamat Husain Muslim Girls’ Inter College, who has been honoured with the Uttar Pradesh Government’s Best District Teacher Award in 2021 and 2023, distributed the prizes and lauded the efforts of young talents, veteran players, and organizers alike.
The event was marked not only by competitive spirit but also by celebration, camaraderie, and inspiration—proving once again that chess in Lucknow continues to thrive across generations.
