50th National Championship for Women 2024

That’s a significant event for Indian chess! The 50th National Women Chess Championship being inaugurated by Shri Dev A Patel, the youngest Secretary of the All India Chess Federation, marks a milestone. His reference to the inspiring gold medal performances of the Indian men and women teams at the recent Chess Olympiad in Hungary certainly adds to the motivational energy of the event.

It’s great to see players like IM elect Velpulaya Sarayu of Telangana, IM Bhakti Kulkarni, IM Padmini Rout, WGM Rakshitta Ravi, WGM PV Nandithaa, and WGM Mary Ann Gomes competing for this prestigious title. With a substantial prize fund of ₹30 lakhs, including ₹7 lakhs for the winner, this championship is bound to be a tough and thrilling competition.

The early upset with Natura Bethi beating WIM Arpita Mukherjee is exciting and shows how unpredictable the tournament could become!