On her way to glory in Tashkent, International Woman Grand Master and Goa Carbon Limited Goodwill Ambassador Bhakti Kulkarni remained unbeaten in the star-studded Championship while taking home a cash purse of $5000 as prize money. Grand Master Dronavali Harika, who had won the Asian title in 2011 was the first one to congratulate Bhakti from Hungary. She wrote to Bhakti,“Welcome in the World Championship. Congrats for winning the title for India. Now work harder!!”.
The Goan Network
Panaji
International Woman Grand Master and Goa Carbon Limited Goodwill Ambassador, Bhakti Kulkarni of Goa won the prestigious Asian Women's Chess Championship in Tashkent(Uzbekistan) on Friday. The triumph in the Asian Championship earned Bhakti a berth in the World Chess Championships, which is a big boost to an Indian player.
On her way to glory in Tashkent, Bhakti remained unbeaten in the star-studded Championship while taking home a cash purse of $5000 as prize money.
Grand Master Dronavali Harika, who had won the Asian title in 2011 was the first one to congratulate Bhakti from Hungary. She wrote to Bhakti,“Welcome in the World Championship. Congrats for winning the title for India. Now work harder!!”.
Bhakti gave credit of victory to her coach and mentor Dronacharya award winner Raghunandan Gokhale who prepared Bhakti everyday on the net.
“Hats off to Gokhale sir. He knew exactly what strategy to adopt and I just followed it," Bhakti informed from Tashkent.
Gokhale was a very happy man on Friday and also proud of his ward's terrific feat. His wife Anupama had been twice winner of Asian Women's Championship back in 1985 and 1987. “Now we waited for nearly 30 years for one of my students to do it. Both myself and Anupama are proud of Bhakti," coach Gokhale said in reaction to Bhakti's stupendous performance. "What adds more satisfaction to Bhakti's performance is the fact that she not only became the Asian champion but also achieved this feat without losing any game. That's a sign of a champion," added the mentor.
When the tournament got underway, Bhakti started as rank outsider in the seeding list. She was 16th seed among 34 top Asian players from China,India,Iran,Vietnam. However, she played aggressively and took an early lead by scoring a scintillating win over top seed Sarasadat (Iran) in 4th round. That victory really boosted her morale and from that point she never looked back and knew exactly what she had to do to secure the title. In short, Bhakti's was a truly professional effort.
Bhakti was elated after her last round fighting draw with Vietnamese Grand Master Hoang Thi Bao Tram. Bhakti’s entry into the World Championship is a big push for Indian chess freternity as only the Asian Champion is allowed to play there.
Bhakti will return to Goa on June 6 from Tashkent via Delhi.
