“The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work”- Harry Golden. This in brief describes the achievement of a young Goan lad Leon Mendonca. At a time when the sporting world has been rocked by Covid-19, Leon Mendonca picked up three norms in the last three months to become India’s 67th Grandmaster and only the second from Goa.
Chennai player G Akash had in July, become the country’s 66th Grandmaster. At 14 years, nine months and 17 days, he also becomes the 29th youngest GM in the world. Indeed a proud moment for every Goan.
It is understood that Leon and his father Lyndon Mendonca were stranded in Europe in March in the wake of the Coronavirus-enforced lockdown and travel restrictions. They saw an opportunity in it and took part in several tournaments with an aim of achieving the GM title. In the nine months from March to December, Leon played in 16 tournaments and, from an ELO rating of 2452 points, improved to 2544. Indeed this honour of being a Grandmaster has been achieved by converting stumbling blocks into stepping stones and should serve as an inspiration for young aspiring Grandmasters.
ADELMO FERNANDES, Vasco
