Chess Pick Up Popularity Among University Students

Navisheel Prasad took out the P. Meghji-Courts Rapid Chess Champi­onship open grade at the University of Fiji, Saweni Campus in Lautoka in the weekend.

Prasad a final year Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) student at the Umanand Prasad School of Medicine and Health Sciences, (University of Fiji) also caused the biggest upset of the tournament when he beat top chess playerRudr Prasad.

National rep Prasad is representing Fiji in the upcoming Olympiad in Chennai at the end of this month.

Prasad (Navisheel) and Rudr had tied on six points at the end of tournament but Navish­eel won on tie break.

Navisheel said the tournament was chal­lenging, entertaining and was a perfect break from university life.

“Taking part in an over the board experi­ence was a perfect outing,” Navisheel said.

“When I played against the highest rated player in the tournament, I was a bit nerv­ous; a draw would do since I had the black pieces.

“When I saw that after repeated attempts by him to gain a winning advantage failed, it was just burning time.

“I drew out the end game as long as I could to burn more of his time and started to go for the win and I managed to get it.”

UF vice-chancellor Professor Shaista Sha­meem said they were proud to be associated with the Fiji Chess Federation.

“Chess is a strategic game that allows the university to fulfil its mission to become the think tank of Fiji in regards to policy in all areas of national life,” Professor Shameem said.

FCF representative Ravikesh Prasad was pleased to see the number of participants; he hopes more students will take part in future.

Napolioni Seru , 12, travelled from Suva for the championship. He is in Year 8 at Rishikul Primary School.

His mother, Salote Seru said Napolioni started playing when he was three-years-old.

“As he grew up, he started showing keen in­terest in the game playing with his cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents,” Ms Seru said.

His older sister an MBBS student at UF had told Seru about the championship.

Luisa Corpuz bagged the first prize in the women’s category. Nisheel Vignesh Chandra of Sangam Sadhu Kuppuswamy Memorial College won the secondary category while Ricardo Luis Corpuz IV of Gurukul Primary School won the primary category.

The possibility of having an inter-tertiary competition is in the pipeline. This will de­pend on interest from other universities.

Feedback: waisean@fijisun.com.fj