A resident of Power Grid Township in Sector 43, Gurgaon, is making waves not just in his housing complex but across the chess-loving fraternity. Sparsh Bisht, a Class 2 student of Amity International School (Gurgaon) bagged the fifth position in the 30th National Under-7 Open & Girls Chess Championship held in Puducherry between September 19 and September 27. Representing Haryana, this little champ fought it out with over 180 participating children.
Bisht was awarded a cash prize of Rs 10,000 and a certificate at the award ceremony held in Puducherry by the secretary general of All India Chess Federation, V Hariharan.
"I am very happy with his performance. He is a very promising player and we have high expectations from him. He has been regularly taking classes, and has a great passion for the game. Whenever we are at home, we play together and Sparsh always wins. He has won many medals at the district-and-state-level competitions. This victory will take him long way,” his father Rajinder -- who works with the Power Grid Corporation of India -- gushed over the phone from Puducherry.
Naresh Sharma, secretary general of Haryana Chess Association, too, praised Bisht for his achievement. "For a child of Under-7 category, to bag a position in a game where 182 players were competing is no small feat. It is a huge accomplishment. We will support him in every way we can,” he said.