The latest young champion in town
JAIDEEP SHENOY
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On her way to the top four, she has lost only one game in eight rounds.
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Right temperament: Chess prodigy
Manasa K., a first year Pre-University student of Sharada Pre-University College, Mangalore, is growing in stature as an able chess player. Further proof of her prowess was shown at the recently concluded national under-17 girl’s chess championship conducted by the Puri District Chess Association under the auspices of All India Chess Federation for four-days from June 22 where she finished fourth.
Manasa’s was the best ever performance by a girl from Karnataka in this category at the national level. Although Manasa collected six points out of a possible eight, the same tally as N. Krithika of Tamil Nadu and Anusha N. L. V. of Andhra Pradesh, she was relegated to the fourth place.
Krithika and Anusha finished second and third respectively, ahead of Manasa due to their better progressive score, denying Manasa a podium finish.
Manasa, with a FIDE rating of 1896 started as 24th seed in the tournament. On her way to the top four, she won four five games, drew two and lost a lone game in the eight rounds. Her only loss in the event came at the hands of international player Gundala Madanasari (FIDE rating 2003).
Smart moves
She registered important wins against higher rated players including Mohana Sengupta (Fide rating 1964) and P. Uthra (FIDE rating 2063). The administrator of Derik’s Chess School, Prasanna Rao B., says, her determination and hard work sets Manasa apart . Manasa, who learnt the basics of the game at the school, before blossoming into a player on her own right, also has an excellent temperament, he notes.
She is a very good positional player very much in the Anatoly Karpov mould and does not attack, he says. Daughter of Sudhakaran Kongot and N. Geetha, Manasa is a six-time state chess champion in her age categories, one time silver and two times gold medallist as well as the captain of Karnataka girls team in the National School Chess Tournaments conducted by SGFI.
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