PANAJI
The 38th National Under-13 Chess Championship 2025 entered a decisive phase after the completion of the eighth round, with both the Open and Girls’ sections producing high-intensity encounters that have left the title race wide open.
In the Open section, Arush A (2105, Kerala) and Badole Shaunak (2086, Maharashtra) share the lead with 7 points each. In the Girls’ section, WCM Modipalli Deekshitha (1934, Telangana) extended her dominance, moving to 7.5 points and maintaining a clear lead at the top.
The top boards in the Open section witnessed dramatic results. Arush A defeated CM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma, while Shaunak overcame Aryan Behera (1994, Odisha). The clashes between Adhiraj Mitra (2063, Jharkhand) and CM Vyom Malhotra (1974, Haryana), as well as Mahir Taneja (2043, Delhi) and Shaurya Chaudhary (1938), ended in draws. Top seed Siddhanth Poonja (2215, Karnataka) was held to a draw by Samuel Stephen Noble S (1981, Andhra Pradesh).
Goa’s players had mixed results. Maxwell Raposo (1806) drew with Abhinav Anand (1948, Karnataka), Aaryavrat Rasiket Naik Desai (1758) went down to Siddharth Sanjoy (1887, Kerala), while Rajveer Patil (1695) split the point with Venkata Naga Karthik Malladi (1817, Karnataka).
In the Girls’ section, Deekshitha strengthened her lead by defeating WCM Pratitee Bordoloi (2035, Karnataka). On the other boards, Arpita Patankar (1846, Gujarat) drew with Sravyasree Bheemarasetty (1978, Andhra Pradesh), WFM Saranya Devi Narahari (1869, Telangana) split points with WCM Sri Darshini T (1843, Andhra Pradesh), while Maitreyi Mondal (1883, West Bengal) and Mysha Perwez (1815, Maharashtra) secured crucial results against Siddhi Rao (1775, Karnataka) and WCM Aamuktha Guntaka (2102, Andhra Pradesh), respectively.
Among Goa’s girls, Diya Digamber Sawal (1586) and Asmi Amit Terse (1407) played out an all-Goa draw. Lyia Marysil Silveira (1495) lost to Haryana’s Tanishka Ramasubramanian (1566), while Skyla Rodrigues (1544) defeated Juana Hyacinth G (1456, Tamil Nadu).
With a double round scheduled for Monday ” the 9th round at 10 am and the penultimate 10th round at 3.30 pm ” the championship is poised for a thrilling climax.
