Nagpur’s Knight Shaunak Emerges Commonwealth Chess King in Sri Lanka

Nagpur: Shaunak Badole, the knight of tournaments in Nagpur, is now the king of Commonwealth Youth Chess Championship.In his first international appearance after emerging as the National U-13 chess champion last year, Shaunak secured a rich haul of two gold medals in Sri Lanka on Monday.While Shaunak won the U-14 gold medals in the classical and rapid format of the championship, Nagpur's Saksham Wadhwa marginally missed the yellow metal in the U-18 category. Saksham fell short by just half a point in the classical format to bring home a silver medal. He also clinched a bronze medal in the rapid event of the tournament.In the U-14 Open group, Shaunak's 2240 Elo gave the Nagpur boy the top billing. After winning the two opening rounds, Shaunak had a bright start. In the next three rounds, when Shaunak was paired against seeded opponents, the 14-year-old played safe and split the points.Despite defending with his black pieces, Shaunak outplayed Sri Lanka's Nanayakkara Sanuk in the sixth round. Once he found the winning edge, Shaunak was unstoppable, and the Nagpur star finished the tournament with a four-game winning streak.In the eighth and penultimate round, Shaunak surprised second-seeded Indian AIM Adhiraj Mitra (Elo 2147) before making light work of seed No. 4 Laddad Aadhavan Atish to win the final essay. With six wins and three draws, Shaunak secured the table-top finish, collecting 7.5 points.His first international gold medal was like morale booster dose for Shaunak as the Nagpur boy dominated the seven-round rapid tournament. Shaunak kept his slate clean by winning all the seven rounds to secure his second successive gold medal with a full seven points.A student of Narayana Vidyalayam, Shaunak will look to continue his winning run when he represents India in the forthcoming Asian and World U-14 championships later this year.In the U-18 Open group, Nagpur's Saksham Wadhwa narrowly missed the gold medal. Despite remaining unbeaten in the classical format, Saksham secured the silver medal as he finished the tournament collecting seven points.Malaysia's second-seeded FM Siva Kumar Nirish Kumar won the gold medal, collecting 7.5 points, while Saksham's five wins and four draws gave him the second position.In the seven-round rapid format, Saksham won the bronze medal, collecting five points.