Shaunak Badole in Open Group and Divyanshi Khandelwal in Women Group annexed the title of Nagpur District Open and Women Selection Chess Championship organised by Chess Association Nagpur in association with GH Raisoni Sports and Cultural Foundation and Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation on 26^th March 2023 in Nagpur.

Shaunak true to his top seeding scored 6.5 points out of seven rounds and emerged winner. Chandrashekhar Sable with a last round draw with Shaunak stood second with 6 points to his credit. Nilay Kulkarni, Sharma Sai and Ayush Ramteke scored 5.5 points and were adjudged 3^rd to 5^th in the final list.

In the women group, Divyanshi Khandelwal who was seeded fifth at the start of championship had a memorable event scoring all 5 points out of 5 rounds and won the championship. In her march to the top, she scored over the Top Seed Aparneeta Jagtap and Third seed Tijan Gawar. Aparneeta Jagtap and Tijan Gawar with their only loss to Divyanshi were placed second and third respectively with 4 points. Anvi Hirde and Shanaya Shelkar scored 3.5 points and were placed 4^th and 5^th in the final merit list.

Shaunak Badole, Chandrashekhar Sable, Nilay Kulkarni and Sharma Sai shall represent Nagpur District in Open Group and Divyanshi Khandelwal, Aparneeta Jagtap, Tijan Gawar, Anvi Hirde and Shanaya Shelkar shall represent Nagpur District in Women Group in the Maharashtra State Open and Women Chess Championship to be held later this year.

Prizes were distributed at the hands of Shri Yashwant Shamkuwar, Ex. Secretary of Vidarbha Chess Association who is a Senior player himself. Shri Bhushsan Shriwas, Secretary, Chess Association Nagpur and Kalpana Prakash Welfare Foundation and Chief Arbiter IA Deepak Chavan were present on the dais. Top 10 Finishers in Open and Women Group got the Trophies and Medals. Medals were also given to Top player in Under 15,13,11,09,07 Category.

Chief Arbiter IA Deepak Chavan, successfully conducted the event assisted by SNA Sagar Sakhare, SNA Sham Agrawal, SNA Prayas Ambade and Prathamesh Machave.

Also read: Nagpur Youth Congress activists stage protest against Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP

Members of Youth Congress Nagpur…

Members of Nagpur Youth Congress staged protest against former Congress MP Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as Member of Parliament from Lok Sabha amid ‘Modi surname’ remark. The protest was held at Chhatrapati Square in the city on Saturday morning where members raised slogans hailing Gandhi. 

When we spoke to Secretary, Maharashtra Youth Congress, Abhishek Dhawad, who led the protest, said, “It is an orchestrated attack on the democracy. And, BJP’s attempt to cripple the voice of Opposition by expunging Rahul Gandhiji is a testimony to the fact that the accusations hold weight and thus the BJP government needs to come clean.”

When asked about Gandhi’s accusation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi siding with business tycoon Gautam Adani, Dhawad quipped, “Adani’s meteoric rise couldn’t have happened without the former being hand in glove with the Centre. It’s the biggest scam in the history of mankind!”

Senior Congress leader and former Corporator Praful Gudadhe Patil, Nagpur District Secretary Mangesh Kamone, etc., marked their presence during the protest.  

Gandhi, on Friday, was disqualified as Lok Sabha MP, a day after a Surat Court convicted him in a defamation case regarding Modi surname remark. The notification disqualifying the Wayanad MP was issued hours after Gandhi attended the morning session of Lok Sabha.

Gandhi, in 2019, had remarked, “Why all the thieves, be it Nirav Modi, Lalit Modi or Narendra Modi have Modi in their names.”

Also read: Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP bars him from contesting LS polls for 8 years?

Rare conjunction of Moon and Venus

A rare celestial event occurred on Friday evening when Moon and the brightest planet in our solar system Venus aligned in conjunction. The alignment was observed in various parts of the world, including Hyderabad, Chandrapur, Nagpur to name a few.

This conjunction is a relatively uncommon occurrence that happens when the two celestial bodies appear close to each other in the sky. The occurrence is particularly rare when the two are at their brightest.

By March-end this year, an alignment of five planets (Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, Uranus, and Mars) in the skies will be witnessed, as seen from Earth. Five planets are set to align between March 25 to March 30 as Earth enters the equinox. 

While all five planets continue to roam around each other in the final days of March, you will be able to see them the clearest on March 28.

Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP bars him from contesting LS polls for 8 years?

Also read: Rahul Gandhi’s disqualification as MP bars him from contesting LS polls for 8 years?