Tarun Karthick
Sri Vijaya Puram, 15 November 2025
The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Andaman Nicobar Chess Association (ANCA), inaugurated the Bal Chess Utsav 2025 – School Chess Championship on November 14 at the ITI Campus, Dollygunj, marking the Children’s Day celebrations with a strong push toward promoting chess among school students.
The two-day championship, designed to identify budding chess talents across the Islands, features competitions across six age categories — Under-7, Under-9, Under-11, Under-13, Under-15, and Under-19. The event also serves as the selection trial for the National Junior (U-19) Chess Championship, scheduled to be held in Jharkhand in December 2025.
Ms. Jyoti Kumari, IAS, Secretary (IP&T), A&N Administration, graced the occasion as the chief guest and inaugurated the tournament by making the ceremonial first move. Extending warm Children’s Day greetings, she encouraged students to participate actively in chess tournaments, noting that such platforms sharpen cognitive skills, instill discipline, and inspire youth to excel.
Mr. Vikram Singh, Director (Education/Sports), attended as the guest of honour. Addressing the participants, he urged them to pursue the game with sincerity and devotion. He also motivated students to adopt regular reading habits and make full use of State, zonal, and school libraries, emphasizing that constructive engagement in sports and reading can help them avoid mobile phone addiction and other distractions.
This year’s edition has drawn an impressive 400 students, making it one of the largest school-level chess tournaments in the Islands.
