Kundan Singh Open Championship
The Kundan Singh Open Chess Championship was held successfully at the Fiji School of Medicine Pacifika Campus in Suva on Sunday 19 February 2012. Candidate Master Calvin Prasad continued his unbeaten winning spree since October 2011 to emerge a flawless winner with 5 wins off 5 games. He managed to hold off arch rival Candidate Master Manoj Kumar who came 2nd with 4 wins, while veteran Dr Neel Arora finished 3rd with 3 wins.
"The tournament attracted many young players which is very encouraging," said Calvin Prasad. "We hope that more young players continue to attend to our Sunday chess clinics as we intend to nuture the next generation of chess players as the year progresses."
The Intermediate Division was won by Christopher Kumar who had 5 wins from 6 games. He met a strong challenge from veteran player Seru Cicerocivi who had 4 wins and 1 draw. Female players Gloria Sukhu and 9 year old upcoming Jacqui Masilomani proved their ability by securing the 3rd and 4th positions.
The championship attracted a record number of players this year, and this implied that the sport of chess is starting to catch the public eye.