With the pursuit of making chess a more comfortable and fun sport, City Centre New Town recently hosted a rapid chess tournament in the alfresco arena of the shopping complex. Organised under the Sara Bangla Daba Sangstha, this one-of-a-kind chess tournament saw the enthusiastic participation of around 280 players across all ages who thoroughly engaged themselves in brainstorming moves with sheer precision and mindful attempts. The tournament, held in a total of seven rounds, was followed by a simultaneous chess playing session with ace chess grandmaster Dibyendu Barua who graced the evening while the tournament was conducted.
Breaking the conventional notion of how a general chess tournament takes place, this one-day sporting event emphasised certain key aspects of how chess as a mind game also requires physical fitness, besides mental agility. Felicitating international grandmasters, and youngest chess players and distributing cash prizes and trophies in the general category within specific age groups marked the conclusion of this event.
“Ambuja Neotia Group, owning six malls across the country, is known for its unique management with its patrons in the form of events. This time we thought of organising City Centre Rapid Chess Tournament in our mall. Chess is a mind game and it requires loads of focus and attention while malls are public places. Holding the tournament on November 19 on the day of the India vs Australia WC finals being screened in the malls and seeing the participants of chess not losing their focus shows that the kids of Bengal are talented. We shall surely organise many more events of this
kind where children will be given the opportunity to shine,” said Ramesh Pandey, VP, marketing and events, Ambuja Neotia Group.
Tournament director Tuhin Kanti Das mentioned the effort put into organising the event. “Practically, prior to arranging this event, we have done rounds of thoughts every time. It was a much bigger responsibility this time. We are also thinking of organising such events outside the city as well. It was quite a challenging task to organise this event in this forum. I believe something like this has never happened in the city before. Besides, the support and cooperation that the parents have extended were something beyond imagination. It would not have been possible without their support. I am fully satisfied and I look forward to organising more such tournaments so that we can create more International Masters and Grand Masters from Bengal itself. These kids are our future resources,” he said.
“I think the City Centre rapid tournament was a great initiative that was taken by SBDS chess. This tournament provided an environment where people got to know more about chess. It was a wonderful experience for the players to play simultaneously against Dibyendu Barua,” said Woman International Master, Arpita Mukherjee.
“The unique idea of organising this one-day event is truly an amazing job. I congratulate all the participants and extend my gratitude to the organisers. This is the first time in West Bengal that this type of tournament is being organised in a shopping mall where there are a lot of external factors in the immediate environment. Despite all the commotion, the chess players are concentrating and playing, which is in contrast to how a general chess match takes place. Chess is a game which requires absolute concentration. I think this event is one of the most lauded attempts to make chess as a game more popular. I am extremely glad to be here and I am also sure that the players have enjoyed themselves thoroughly,” said Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua.
Ashmita Ghosh (t2intern
