National Junior Chess championship: Narayanan is favourite
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After some awe-inspiring performances in the World Junior Championship in Chennai, this August, chess aficionados are now looking forward to the National Junior Chess championship that started in Goa on Tuesday.
The occasion yet again brings the spotlight upon S.L. Narayanan, the 13-year-old prodigy from Thiruvananthapuram, who received his maiden International Master norm during the Worlds.
Narayanan starts as the hot favourite in the 11-round tournament but will face tough competition from the consistent Ernakulam boy Yohan J. and the in-form of Arjun Satheesh, the winner of the State junior title and Arjun K. Mohan, both hailing from Kozhikode.
In the girls’ category, another Anjana Krishna S. of Thiruvana-nthapuram will be vying for the title in the under-19 category.
However, being a no-norm tournament, Narayanan will have no opportunity to bag his second IM norm at the competition, regardless of his performance here. But he would be having a good chance to walk away with the `17,000 cash-prize.
The two Arjuns from north Kerala are also capable of creating upsets. Though, Arjun K, isn’t at par with Narayanan, he has the never-say-die attitude that saw him triumph at the B.S. Yediyurappa FIDE rated open chess tournament in Shimoga in late July.
Arjun Satheesh, who remained unbeaten in the State tourney held in Kottayam last week, would be looking to continue his good form at the championship. For the two lads the Goan trip will be a test of character and an opportunity to raise their game to the next level.
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