------------------------------------------------------------------------ August 25, 2009 - Goanet's 15th Anniversary
------------------------------------------------------------------------ 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