Jaivardhan Raj wins U-7 chess title in Kolhapur

Chess kid Jaivardhan Raj poses with his winning trophy

City's chess prodigy Jaivardhan Raj won the prestigious Maharashtra U-7 State Championship at Kolhapur recently with a highest score of 7.5/8. Jaivardhan, a student of Jamnabai Narsee School (Juhu), pocketed a cash prize of Rs 5000. Seeded third in the tournament, with a whopping international rating of 1112 Elo points, Jaivardhan remained unbeaten in the tournament. His wins included one over Shourya Khadilkar, the top seed, in the sixth round.

With his recent performance, Jaivardhan is all set to represent Maharashtra at the Nationals in July at Tumukur, Karnataka. Jai's coach Harsh Kanoje, who said that his student practises 10 hours a week, felt the kid is an exceptional talent. "We've been working hard for a little over a year. His passion for the game is just amazing. Kids of his age can get easily distracted, but Jai is an exception. He is very calm and quiet, which has helped him reach this stage," Kanoje said. "He has not realised what he has achieved. It was expected, but the feeling is entirely different when it happens for real," Jai's father Satyam Raj said.

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