Bansod youngest Category-A chess arbiter of India
Date :08-Jul-2020
Principal Correspondent :
INTERNATIONAL Arbiter of Nagpur Swapnil Bansod added another feather to his cap after he was upgraded to Category A Arbiter by International Chess Federation (FIDE). Bansod, who is 3rd International Arbiter from Nagpur, became the youngest arbiter to get the Category A status in India. The status upgradation was done during the 2nd FIDE Online Council Meeting 2020. Bansod is first International Arbiter from entire Vidarbha to achieve this prestigious cadre.
He is 3rd International Arbiter from Maharashtra and 8th from India to achieve this feat. Swapnil became FIDE Arbiter in July 2009 when he topped the FIDE Arbiter exam at Chennai. Later in 2012, he achieved the title of International Arbiter, the youngest Indian to clear it on both the occasions. Bansod is the youngest among all 11 Category-A Indian Arbiters. He has performed the duty as an Arbiter in nearly 150 national and international events. He has also officiated in three world championships, which includes World Youth Olympiad Under-16 at Ahmedabad (2017), World Cadet Chess Championship at Spain (2018) and World Youth Chess Championship at Mumbai (2019).
At Mumbai competition, he was Deputy Chief Arbiter. His performance at World Youth Championship helped him move up from category C to A. Bansod has dedicated his success to his late uncle Rukshdas Bansod. He gives credit of his success to his family members, Nagpur District Chess Association, All Marathi Chess Association, All India Chess Federation, Manoj Itkelwar, Dilip Kamdar and KK Barat for their inspirational support.
He also expressed his gratitude to senior International Arbiters from all over India for their support and guidance. Members of Nagpur District Chess Association congratulated Bansod for his success and wished him a bright future.