MARGAO
The curtains came down on the 38th National Under-13 Chess Championship 2025 at Daivadnya Bhavan, Margao, with Badole Shaunak of Maharashtra and WCM Deekshitha Modipalli of Telangana clinching the top honours in the Open and Girls’ categories, respectively. The prestigious national tournament witnessed a record participation of 597 players from across the country, concluding with a grand closing ceremony on Wednesday.
In the Open section, top-seeded Badole Shaunak (FIDE rating 2086) outplayed Arush A (2105) of Kerala in the final round to clinch the title with an impressive 10 points, remaining unbeaten throughout the tournament. He took home a cash prize of ₹80,000 and a grand trophy.
Siddhanth Poonja (2215) of Karnataka defeated Dharsh M (1944) of Tamil Nadu to finish second with 9 points, earning ₹60,000, while CM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma (2187) of Madhya Pradesh secured third place with 8.5 points, defeating CM Vyom Malhotra (1974) of Haryana. He received ₹48,000.
Other top finishers included: 4th place: Siddhant Salunke (Maharashtra) – 8.5 pts – ₹35,000; 5th place: Shubh Atha (Gujarat) – 8.5 pts – ₹28,000; 6th to 20th place (Open Section): Shaurya Chaudhary (Delhi), Samarth Sreeni Warrier (Gujarat), CM Aarit Kapil (Delhi), Aarav Saish Amonkar (Karnataka), Aarush Dolas (Maharashtra), Arush A (Kerala), Samuel Stephen Noble S (Andhra Pradesh), Parambrata Sarkar (West Bengal), Aryan Behera (Odisha), Adhiraj Mitra (Jharkhand), Ayaan Garg (Chandigarh), Pratyush Kumar (Uttar Pradesh), Dharsh M (Tamil Nadu), Vivan Soni (Maharashtra), Mayukh Majumder (West Bengal).
Goa’s Best Performers (Open): Joshua Mark Telles – 38th, 7.5 pts; Maxwell Raposo – 60th, 7 pts; Vihaan Tari – 83rd, 6.5 pts; Rajveer Patil – 84th, 6.5 pts; Shubh Vishnu Borkar – 95th, 6.5 pts
In the Girls section, WCM Deekshitha Modipalli (1934) of Telangana held Arpita Patankar (1846) of Gujarat to a draw in the final round to finish with 9.5 points, remaining unbeaten to secure the championship title. She received ₹80,000 and a grand trophy.
Mysha Perwez (1815) of Maharashtra secured second place with 9 points after defeating Maitreyi Mondal (1883) of West Bengal. Maitreyi, despite the loss, finished third with 8.5 points.
WCM Aamuktha Guntaka (2102) of Andhra Pradesh and Sravyasree Bheemarasetty (1978), also of Andhra Pradesh, rounded out the top five, each with 8.5 points.
6th to 20th place (Girls Section): WCM Sri Darshini T (Andhra Pradesh), WFM Saranya Devi Narahari (Telangana), Arpita Patankar (Gujarat), WCM Aaradhya Das (Tripura), Vanshika Rawat (Delhi), Charudharshini R (Tamil Nadu), Sasi Hasini Chintala (Telangana), Janaki S D (Kerala), Dishita Dey (Jharkhand), Krupha S Ukkali (Karnataka), Shreya Rajesh (Karnataka), WCM Hanya Shah (Gujarat), Indusheetala Natarajan (Karnataka), Siddhi Rao (Karnataka), Dheekshika G (Tamil Nadu).
Goa’s Best Performers (Girls): Asmi Amit Terse – 38th, 7 pts; Skyla Rodrigues – 52nd, 6.5 pts; Diya Digamber Sawal – 55th, 6.5 pts; Navya Narvekar – 77th, 6 pts; Lyia Marysil Silveira – 81st, 6 pts
The closing ceremony was presided over by Digambar Kamat, Minister of Public Works, Legal Metrology, and Captain of Ports, who served as Chief Guest. Also present were Ajit Verma, Chief of Operations, All India Chess Federation, Ramakant Raikar, President, Daivadnya Samaj, Margao, Mahesh Candolkar, President, Goa Chess Association, Ashesh Keni, Secretary, Goa Chess Association and Vishwas Pilankar, Treasurer, Goa Chess Association.
