PANAJI
Woman Grand Master Bhakti Kulkarni achieved another milestone in her illuminating career when she was picked up in the strong Indian women's team for the Asian Nations Cup to be held in Abu Dhabi from March 28.
The former Commonwealth gold medallist is in top form this year too. She won a bronze in the National Woman Premier Championship and followed it with an individual gold medal in the National Team Chess Championship at Bhubaneswar last month.
"I am thrilled to play for the Indian women's team as we shall be playing against strong teams of China, Philippines, Iran, Mongolia etc. I had played many internationals as a junior before but this is a golden opportunity to play in the women's team abroad," Bhakti, a Goodwill Ambassador of Goa Carbon Ltd, said.
Recently Bhakti was picked up for a special training camp by the All India Chess Federation. "This camp was for the probables of future Indian teams and I am honoured to be picked up in the top five of the country," she said.
Meanwhile, joint secretary of All India Chess Federation Kishor Bandekar hailed Bhakti's selection. "For Goa, it's a proud moment to have Bhakti in the Indian women's team and its very much deserving considering her excellent performance. I feel she will surely perform well for India and it is really motivating factor for the other Goan chess players,” Bandekar said.
President of Goa Chess Association Vinay Tendulkar and other association members have congratulated Bhakti on her feat.
