Jai Narayan College and Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Primary School triumphed in the 2024 Vodafone Fiji National School Teams Chess Championship held at The University of the South Pacific in Suva.
JNC clinched the secondary schools title with 14 points, led by Women’s Candidate Master (WCM) Tanvi Prasad and teammates Zayne Keshwan, Rajatha Weerasekara, and Ayaand Chand.
MGM Primary School won the primary schools division with 10 points, driven by Dinujaya Herath, Yajas Sharma, Abhiru Herath, and Useli Herath.
Fiji Chess Federation general secretary Goru Arvind expressed gratitude to Vodafone Fiji for reviving the championship after a five-year hiatus due to pandemic-related sponsorship challenges.
The tournament featured 12 school teams from across Fiji, including MGMl, Suva Grammar School, JNC, DAV College, Marist Brothers High School, Sigatoka Andhra Sangam College, Yat Sen Primary School, Deenbandhoo Memorial School, and Dudley Intermediate School.
MBHS took second place in the secondary division with 11 points, followed by MGM High School with 10 points and Sigatoka Andhra Sangam with eight points.
In the primary division, Deenbandhoo Memorial School secured second place with five points, and Dudley Intermediate School placed third with three points.
The event, mirroring a World Chess Olympiad format with shorter time controls, was a success among schoolchildren.
Meanwhile, Fiji’s teams have departed for the 45th World Chess Olympiad in Budapest, Hungary.
The women’s team is captained by National Arbiter William Robert Raymond Bennion, and the Open Team is led by Candidate Master (CM) Goru Arvind.
Head of delegation CM Taione Sikivou will also attend the 2024 FIDE Congress Meeting. || Jai Narayan and MGM win || Jai Narayan and MGM win
