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August 25, 2009 - Goanet's 15th Anniversary
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Amazing Anurag The Chess Wizkid
Today's newspapers brought a stunning piece of sporting news for Goa.
"14 year old Anurag Nhamal is the first Goan to qualify for the
National Chess A Championship" To those unfamiliar with chess I will
explain this feat by comparing it with football. It is the equivalent
of saying that India has qualified for the World Cup Football Finals!
International Masters and even Grandmasters who are the elite of chess
find it difficult to qualify for the National A tournament which is
India's strongest domestic chess event not open to foreign players.
Hence it is a feat that must rank alongside the achievements of
Bhakti Kulkarni and Ivana Furtado.
One hopes and prays that Anurag goes on to build on this wonderful
achievement and swiftly moves on to greater heights. I'd like to echo
the sentiments of the President of Goa State Chess Association Ashesh
Keni and wish that Anurag gets a good sponsor. Nowadays pursuing a
career in chess can be an expensive proposition for the middle
classes, what with the cost of travel, boarding and lodging,
tournament entry fees and coaching fees.
We muust congratulate Anurag's father Arvind Mhamal who is also the
Secretary of the Goa State Chess Association and who has sacrificed
much to ensure that his son gets a chance to succeed in the chess
world. One hopes that GSCA which was in the news for the wrong reasons
in the recent past will now work to bring to light more and more Goan
chess talents like Ivana and Bhakti and Riya Sawant and Riddhi Zantye
and Cyrus Pereira. Well done Anurag; well done GSCA.
--
Augusto Pinto
40, Novo Portugal,
Moira, Bardez,
Goa, India
E pinto...@gmail.com or ypinto...@yahoo.co.in
P 0832-2470336
M 9881126350
