Karnataka's Samarth J Rao secures second place at national chess championship; to represent India at IPCA World event in Goa

MANGALURU: Samarth J Rao clinched second place at the 5th National Chess Championship for Specially-Abled Players, held in Vizianagaram, Andhra Pradesh. The tournament, organised by Fire Chess School from June 24 to 28, was conducted on behalf of the Chess Federation of Physically Disabled (CFPD) and the All India Chess Federation (AICF).Rao, who holds an MCom degree, is currently employed at the Honnavar Post Office as a postal assistant under the sports quota. He remained unbeaten through nine rounds, securing 7 points with five wins and four draws.A total of 101 differently-abled players from more than 13 states competed in the championship.Rao, a two-time national gold medallist (2022 and 2024), narrowly missed a hat-trick of titles. However, his runner-up finish earned him a place on the Indian team for the upcoming 24th IPCA World Chess Championship for the Differently-Abled, scheduled to be held in Goa from 21 to 31 July, according to his father, Jagadish Rao.Dhananjay Acharya, Superintendent of Post Offices, Karwar Division, M S Gonda, Postmaster of Honnavar, and fellow staff have expressed their support and appreciation for Rao’s achievements.Samarth is the son of Jagadish Rao B S, a retired bank employee, and Vinutha Bhat, a Training Officer at the Government ITI in Honnavar. Over the years, he has been guided by several mentors, including Prof V R Shastri (Honnavar), Jyotiprakasam (Madurai), Srinidhi Sripati (Chennai), Swaraj Palit (Jharkhand), Prasad Hegde (Sirsi), Vinay Kumar Hiremutt (Sirsi), and Kapil Lohan (Pune). He is currently being coached by Ajith M P (Mysuru).