Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) The Indian under-11 girls’ team has secured a bronze medal at the prestigious ASEAN Chess Championship, held in Singapore at Tampines Hub, delivering a strong performance on the international stage.

India’s under-11 team, comprising Varenya Lakshmi Vaka and Aligiri Amrutha Hemal of Andhra Pradesh and Maya Siddharth Narula of Mumbai, who represents the Mumbai Chess Centre (MCC), put up an impressive performance to finish on the podium with a total tally of 14.5 points.

Vietnam clinched the gold medal with an outstanding 19.5 points, while Singapore secured silver with 14.5 points. India also scored 14.5 points and secured the bronze medal based on the tournament’s tie-break criteria.

The championship, which ended on Tuesday night, brought together 700+ players from 27 countries, making it one of the major international junior chess events in the region.

The Indian players demonstrated excellent fighting spirit and consistency throughout the championship, competing strongly against some of the leading junior players from across Asia. The performance also highlighted the growing depth and strength of Indian junior chess across multiple age categories.

Speaking about the team’s achievement, Durga Nagesh Guttula, chief coach at Mumbai Chess Centre (MCC), said: “Indian players have performed extremely well at this championship and have once again shown the strength and depth of Indian junior chess. What is particularly encouraging is that our players have been competitive and have made their presence felt across different age categories and events.

“These international championships provide invaluable exposure to our young players and help them develop the confidence and experience required to compete at the highest level,” he added.

Indian teams have usually done well in age-group chess, winning medals at the Continental and global level, dominating classical, rapid and blitz sections.

–IANS

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