National Challengers 2017 is now open to all

by ChessBase India - 28/06/2017

This year the National Challengers 2017 was going to be a very strong event as the AICF along with the organizers had decided to restrict the entries to only four selected players from every state and players rated above 2200 Elo in open and above 1800 Elo in the women's section. However, in the central council meeting of AICF it was decided that these restrictions will be relaxed and all the players can participate provided the name is recommended by their state associations. So the event is open to all and you can now book your accommodation and travel through the ChessBase India travel solution.

In 2016 the National Challengers was converted into an unrated event. This was done to ensure that many more top grandmasters participate without the fear of losing their rating points. This rule was overturned for the 2017 event. The National Challengers 2017 for Open and Women were both made into rated events. However, AICF had introduced a new rule of rating cut off.

As per the rule players below the rating of 2200 in Open tournament and below 1800 in the women's tournament would not be allowed to participate. This meant that the National Challengers was going to be an extremely strong event rating wise, but at the same time the bulk of the players would not be allowed to participate.

However, on the 25th of June 2017 at the Central Council meeting of All India Chess Federation (AICF) this decision was changed. The rating cut off rule at the National Challengers was lifted off and the events were made open for players of all ratings as well as unrated players. The only condition being that the entries of the players had to be submitted through their respective State Association.

The All India Chess Federation published a small article on their official website

What was the reason for the sudden change of plans? Speaking to ChessBase India, the recently elected AICF Secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan said, "We received a lot of complaints from many players, especially women players. National Challengers is the only non age category National event in India that is open for all. Also it is a selection event for the National Premier. Besides many of the entries in subsequent events depends on the participation of National Challengers. For eg. If you would like to play in Commonwealth Championships, you should have participated in the previous National Challengers. Thinking about all these reasons I proposed in the Central Council Meeting that the National Challengers should be made into an open event without rating restrictions and everyone agreed with it."

Now everyone can participate in the National Challengers 2017. So what are you waiting for! Get ready, start your preparation and enroll for the event that could qualify you to the most prestigious (National Premier) tournament of our country! But wait, what about the travel and the hotel bookings? Well, let ChessBase India take care of that.

Travel and Accommodation service by ChessBase India:

If you would like to book a flight ticket to the National Challengers 2017 or a hotel, please call us at the numbers given below, or write to us at the given email id. ChessBase India has started this travel solution and we would like chess players to make full use of it, so that their hassles related to stay and travel are minimized.

Hotline: 09106908500 (10 a.m to 8 p.m.)

Email: accommodations@chessbase.in

Luxurious rooms at very reasonable cost await you. Write or call us for the best quotes. You can also book your flight tickets and save on the convenience charges.

The National Challengers 2017 will be held from the 12th to the 23rd of August 2017 in Karnavati Club, Ahmedabad.

Download the revised circular

The women's National Challengers will be held in Mysore, Karnataka from the 21st to the 29th of July 2017.