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Press Release. Report of the Asian Team Championship 2009 |
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Tuesday, 29 December 2009 08:57 |
The Tata Steel Asian Chess Team Championship today came to a close in Kolkata, West Bengal, India, at a grand prize giving and closing ceremony at Town Hall, Kolkata, with Asia powerhouses India and Vietnam emerging champions in their respective categories.
Organized by Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy with All Sport Management India for the All India Chess Federation from 20-29 December 2009, the championship involved 19 teams from 9 countries including host India, and in competition over 7 successive days using the Swiss tournament system, the men's championship was won by India A, and the women's championship by Vietnam.
Gracing the event that was made possible by financial and logistical support from the Government of India and of West Bengal together with title sponsorship from Tata Steel, was Dr Ashim Das Gupta, State Minister of Finance, West Bengal.
Dr Ashim congratulated the organizers, stating that it was the duty of the state to support the organization of an event such as the Asian Team Championship, and going on to say that he understood and appreciated the benefits chess could bring and looked forward to receiving a proposal from Dibyendu Barua Chess Academy and the West Bengal Chess Association for a chess in schools program in West Bengal so all children could benefit from the game.
Other guests of honour included Mr Peeyush Gupta, Chief Marketing & Sales, Tata Steel, representatives from the city of Kolkata and various sponsors together with sports personalities such as Indian Cricket Legend Madan Lal. The participants were billeted at the excellent 4 star The Peerless Inn, conveniently located in central Kolkata in the bustling New Market shopping district and near major tourist attractions like Eden Garden, Howrah, and the Victoria Memorial.
In the men's championship, India "A", with an all grandmaster line up including four players rated 2600+, was the runaway winner, getting all 14 points possible and defeating second placed Vietnam 2.5-1.5, and third placed Iran 3.5-0.5.
Vietnam, while a deserving winner with 13 points, however had a little help from India "B" who beat India "A" 2.5-1.5 in their individual encounter. Before that Vietnam had drawn its match with India "A". So India "B" finished second with 11 points and India "A" third with 10 points.
On the final two days, chess lovers from all over India were treated to live broadcast of the games by Doordarshan (National TV) Sports of the last two rounds together with commentary provided by the organizers.
The final standings:
Men:
1. India "A" 14/14; 2-3. Vietnam, Iran 11/14; 4-5. India "B", Indonesia 8/14; 6-7. Bangladesh, Singapore 6/14; 8. Sri Lanka 3/14; 9. Yemen 2/14; 10. Nepal 1/14.
Individual Board Medals: 1. Le Quang Liem (VIE), 2. Sasikiran Krishnan (IND), 3. Ganguly Surya Sekhar (IND), 4. Negi Parimarjan (IND), 5. Nguyen Anh Dung (VIE).
Women:
1. Vietnam 13/14; 2. India B 11/14; 3. India A 10/14; 4. Iran 7/14; 5-7, Indonesia, Singapore, Bangladesh 6/14; 8. Sri Lanka 3/14; 9. Nepal 1/14.
Individual Board Medals: 1. Harika Dronavalli (IND), 2. Paridar Shadi (IRI), 3. Nguyen Thi Thanh an (VIE), 4. Nguyen Thi Mai Hung (VIE), 5. Hoang Thi Nhu Y (VIE).
Official Website: www.asianteamchess09.com
Tournament Blog: www.kolkata2009.blogspot.com
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