ISB and NIS Clinch Top Honours in Chess Championship
The ISB @75 Chess Championship witnessed a thrilling display of strategic brilliance from young and seasoned talents across Bahrain. The Indian School Bahrain-Team C emerged as the undisputed champions, securing the first position with a flawless record of 10 match points and an outstanding 17½ board points in the Inter-School Under 19 category. The team comprising Dhruvi Shrikant Panigrahi, Sanjana Selvaraj, Kasinath K Siljith, and Vaishnav Sumesh demonstrated exceptional coordination and consistency throughout the tournament. Closely following in second place was Asian School-Team F, earning 8 match points and 16 board points, led by commendable performances from Anish Vaman Khorjuenkar and his teammates Gnanesh Sree Chandra,Akshay Shivashanker Kamath and Ananth Shivashankar Kamath. The third position was clinched by Indian School Bahrain-Team F with 7 match points and 12 board points, thanks to solid efforts from Pranav Santhosh, Parmesh Suresh, Atharav Jagtap, and Aayush Desai.
The Inter-School Under 12 Team event was won by New Indian School-Team B, with 9 match points and a remarkable 16 game points. The winning team featured Noel Abraham, Sriram Palaniaapan, Jairam Kannappan, and Thanush Nair. Bahrain Indian School-Team B came in second with 9 match points and 14 game points, led by Ehan Anjam, Trishan M, Druv Trivedi, and Aadithya Udhayakumar. New Millennium School-Team C secured third place, thanks to strong efforts from Likilesh Amargandhi, Amruth D, Devansh Chakka, and Dhruv Gautam.
In the Under 15 Rapid category of the Open Tournament , Dhansika Nasikethan emerged as the champion with 6½ points, showcasing sharp tactical play throughout the tournament. She was closely followed by Mohammed Yasir Najeem and A. Hudson, both also scoring 6½ points and finishing second and third respectively after tie-breaks. Just half a point behind were Dhruvi Shrikant Panigrahi, Sanjana Selvaraj, Vaishnav Sumesh, and Sreehari Suresh, each with 6 points, demonstrating strong consistency. Navaneeth Krishna K.P, Jairam Kannappan, and Trishan Moorkoth also made their mark with 5½ points each, rounding off the top ten.
In the Senior Category of the Open Rapid session, Prithvi Raj Prajeesh dominated the field with a perfect 7/7 score, earning him a clear first place. Tied at 5 points were Shrikant Krupasindhu Panigrahi, Dimitrios Pispinis, Nicholas, and Aaryan Anil Jai Prabhakaran, all delivering impressive performances. The next tier saw Eugine, Franco, K.P. Pramod Nambiar, Raji Ramath Rajeev, and Aditya Venkatraman finish with 4 points each.
Chief Guest Bahrain Chess Federation President Anmar Ibrahim Ahmadi distributed prizes in the presence of ISB Hon. Chairman Adv. Binu Mannil Varughese, Hon. Secretary V Rajapandian, Hon. Vice-Chairman and Member- HSSE & Sports Dr Mohammed Faizal, Hon.Asst.Secretary and Hon.Member-Academics Ranjini Mohan, Principal VR Palaniswamy, ISB Platinum Jubilee General Convener Prince S. Natarajan, Senior School & Academic Administration Vice-Principal G. Satheesh, Arjun Chess Academy (ACA) CEO Arjun Kakkadath, Tournament Convener Anoj Mathew,Coodrinator Mohammed Faisal, Physical Education HoD Sridhar Siva S and community leaders. The tournament not only celebrated competitive excellence but also fostered sportsmanship and camaraderie among the participating schools.
Hon. Chairman Adv. Binu Mannil Varughese, Hon. Secretary V. Rajapandian, Hon. Vice-Chairman Dr Mohammed Faizal, EC members, Principal VR Palaniswamy, and Jubilee General Convener Prince S Natarajan extended heartfelt gratitude to all participating schools, players, and coaches for their enthusiastic involvement and exemplary sportsmanship in the ISB@75 Chess Championship 2025. They also sincerely thanked the Bahrain Chess Federation and Arjun’s Chess Academy for their invaluable support in making this event a grand success.
