DCA below 1600 FIDE rated chess tournament got off to an overwhelming start at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi. This three day event (13 May-15 may,17) attracted a total of 850 players from across India and three foreign countries and had a total tournament prize money of Rs 17,70,000.
Webkul participated in this tournament with 5 members in its squad (Mr. Prakash Sahu, Mr. Vinay Yadav, Saleem Ali, Nandkishor Jaiswal and Mehul Gupta), all ready to battle it out for the top positions in the tournament. The tournament saw a mix of some very talented young players (aged around 8-13 years) and their much older and experienced counterparts (over 50 years of age).Out of the 850 players who participated in the tournament, 604 players were FIDE (World Chess Federation) rated players, ratings ranging from 1000-1599.
Well, the road to DCA below 1600 FIDE rated chess tournament started back at Webkul, with our very own Webkul Chess Tournament held in April 2017. This internal chess tournament was played with all the rules and regulations conforming to the official Chess tournaments held all over the world. The idea was to get the players in the groove, for playing the offical Delhi Chess Association tournament, which was to come later.
The Webkul Chess Tournament was a two day event which saw a total of 22 players competing for the top positions. This two day event saw some beautiful chess games being played among the players, none of them making it easy for their opponents. The motto was clear, if you want to win give it all you’ve got.
The winners of this tournament were fully sponsored by Webkul to take part in the DCA below 1600 FIDE rated chess tournament.
Finally, the much awaited day for the tournament came. The company cab came to pick up all the participants and we were on our way to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, discussing chess strategies enroute. We reached the venue by 9:00am and completed all the registration formalities and were ready to face our opponents.
It was a mere spectacle to watch the little kids play with such refined and polished knowledge of chess.
A total of 9 games had to be played by each player over these 3 days, 3 matches to be played each day. Tiring ? Yes it was, but the overwhelming feeling of participating in such a huge event kept us going. We, the Webkul team, gave it everything we had to beat our witty opponents.
We lost a few, we won a few, but with every game we learned a lot and grew stronger. Not only we learned about how to improve our game but also about how to keep our cool in crunch and stressful situations throughout the game. Maintaining our composure and analysing the situation to come up with a better solution in such a short span of time was really something we could inculcate in our daily life as well.
On 15th May, the tournament came to its conclusion with players from all over India winning the numerous prizes awarded by the Delhi Chess Association. The tournament was wonderfully organised by the Delhi Chess Association.
Watching, players ready to pounce upon their opponent’s pieces, with strategies and counter strategies, parents comforting their heartbroken kids after a loss or rejoicing and appreciating them after a win, this wonderful tournament will always remain in our memories.
Disappointed on losing out on a few matches but happy to have participated in such a huge tournament and beating a few of our opponents, we returned. Hoping to learn and return much stronger.
