Himanshi Rathi clinches AICFB National Women Chess Championship for the Blind 2022
Himanshi Rathi (GUJ) scored an unbeaten 7.0/8 to win AICFB National Women Chess Championship for the Blind 2022. She finished a half point ahead of the field. This is her third National Women title. Previously, she won it in 2019 and 2020. Vaishali Savalker (MAH) scored an unbeaten 6.5/8 to finish at second place. She also finished second for the third consecutive time. Five players scored 6.0/8. Tijan Punaram Gawar (MAH) was placed third according to tie-breaks. A total of 50 players participated in this three-day eight round tournament from various states across the country. Top three totally blind and top three partially are selected for Asian para games. Photo: AICFB
Himanshi and Vaishali finish top two for the third consecutive time
Himanshi Rathi and Vaishali Savalker have secured first and second place for the third consecutive edition of AICFB National Women Chess Championship for the Blind. Previous two occassions were in 2019 and 2020.
The tournament was inaugurated by Dr. Suman Revenkar Superintendent of Police of Karwar district, Karnataka. Other guests present were Anand, CEO of BNB securities, Manish Thool, General Secretary of AICFB, Sri Krishna Udupa, President of Karnataka State Chess Association, Kishan Gangolli, Vice President of AICFB. Rtn. M Stephen Rodigreous, President of Rotary Club of Honnavar.
Highlights of the tournament: This event was hosted for the first time in Karnataka. Despite this tournament being held in a remote area, there was a record number of entries for the first time in the history of blind Chess.
A special thanks to AICFB Vice President, Kishan Gangolli for sharing photos and various info about the tournament.
A total of 50 players took part from various states across India. The tournament was jointly organised by Rotary Club of Honnavar and All India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB) in association with Karnataka State Chess Association for Visually Challenged from 6th to 8th May 2022 at Honnavar, Karnatak. The eight-round Swiss league tournament had a time control of 60 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.
Round 8 results
| Bo. | No. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Name | Rtg | No. | ||
| 1 | 7 | Tijan Punaram Gawar | 1162 | 5½ | ½ - ½ | 6½ | Rathi Himanshi | 1222 | 6 | ||
| 2 | 38 | Sanskruti Vikas More | 0 | 5½ | ½ - ½ | 5½ | Mrunali Pande | 1285 | 2 | ||
| 3 | 1 | Vaishali Nrendra Salavkar | 1314 | 5½ | 1 - 0 | 5 | Sarita Manoj Kataria | 1266 | 3 | ||
| 4 | 35 | Patra Roshni | 0 | 5 | 0 - 1 | 5 | Megha Chakraborty | 1234 | 4 | ||
| 5 | 21 | Jain Neha | 0 | 5 | 1 - 0 | 5 | Tembhurnikar Ritu | 1011 | 10 |
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
| 1 | 6 | Rathi Himanshi | IND | 1222 | Gujarat | 7,0 | 37,5 | 41,5 | 0,0 | |
| 2 | 1 | Vaishali Nrendra Salavkar | IND | 1314 | Maharashtra | 6,5 | 39,0 | 41,5 | 0,0 | |
| 3 | 7 | Tijan Punaram Gawar | IND | 1162 | Maharashtra | 6,0 | 40,5 | 44,5 | 0,0 | |
| 4 | 2 | Mrunali Pande | IND | 1285 | Maharashtra | 6,0 | 39,0 | 41,5 | 0,0 | |
| 5 | 4 | Megha Chakraborty | IND | 1234 | West Bengal | 6,0 | 38,0 | 42,0 | 0,0 | |
| 6 | 38 | Sanskruti Vikas More | IND | 0 | Maharashtra | 6,0 | 36,5 | 40,5 | 0,0 | |
| 7 | 21 | Jain Neha | IND | 0 | Chhattisgarh | 6,0 | 35,5 | 38,5 | 0,0 | |
| 8 | 5 | Lokhande Shobha | IND | 1232 | Maharashtra | 5,5 | 37,0 | 39,0 | 0,0 | |
| 9 | 8 | Vruthi Jain | IND | 1044 | Karnataka | 5,0 | 38,0 | 40,0 | 0,0 | |
| 10 | 10 | Tembhurnikar Ritu | IND | 1011 | Maharashtra | 5,0 | 37,0 | 41,0 | 0,0 |
