CNN Central News & Network–ITDC India Epress/ITDC News Bhopal: Under the joint auspices of the Railway Sports Promotion Board and the West Central Railway Sports Association, the 36th All India Railway Chess Championship was held at the Railway Stadium. The competition saw participation from 12 Grandmasters and 16 International Masters. The award ceremony for this championship was organized with Shobhana Bandopadhyay, General Manager of West Central Railway, as the chief guest.
The championship included both team and individual events. In the team championship, Integral Coach Factory, Chennai secured the first place, Eastern Railway, Kolkata came second, and Metro Rail Kolkata achieved the third place. In the individual championship, International Master Aronyak Ghosh of Eastern Railway, Kolkata won first place, Grandmaster Deeptayan Ghosh of Eastern Railway, Kolkata secured second place, and International Master S. Nithin of Southern Railway, Chennai took third place.
In her address, Shobhana Bandopadhyay inspired the Railway players by citing the medals won by Indian athletes in the 2024 Olympic Games, encouraging them to achieve international recognition and make the country proud.
Nitin Chaudhary, President of the Sports Association, thanked the General Manager for promoting sports and expressed pride in having the opportunity to witness the games of 12 Grandmasters and 16 International Masters. He also extended thanks to Akshat Khamparia, Secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Chess Committee, and International Arbiter Swapnil Bansod for their full support of the competition.
The award ceremony was attended by Ravi Shankar Saxena, Additional General Manager, Nitin Chaudhary/PCME and President/PMRE Sports Association, Prabhat/PCPO, Prabhat Kumar/PCSO, Amarendra Kumar/PCEE, G.M. Singh/PCOM, Ashutosh/PCEE, Vivek Sheel/Divisional Railway Manager/Jabalpur, Rahul Jaipuriyar/Secretary General Manager, Parveen/Coordinator/RSPB, and Akshat Khamparia/M.P. Chess Committee, among others.