BRINGING glory to Orange City, Nagpur’s 14-year-old chess sensation Shaunak Badole has clinched gold medals in both standard/classical and rapid formats at the U-14 Commonwealth Youth Chess Championship held in Kaluthara, Sri Lanka. The nine-day event ended on Monday. Shaunak, a student of Narayana Vidyalayam, Nagpur, remained unbeaten in the prestigious standard/classical event, scoring an impressive 7.5 points out of 9 rounds with 6 wins and 3 draws. He consistently played on top boards and finished the tournament with a powerful 4-game winning streak.

 

His final-round victories came against India’s top seeds AIM Adhiraj Mitra (Elo 2147) and Laddad Aadhavan Atish (Elo 2014), showcasing his big-match temperament. For his outstanding performance in standard chess, he was awarded with a medal a trophy and cash prize. Shaunak also secured gold in the rapid chess championship, proving his mastery in both long and fast formats against the best U-14 players from across the Commonwealth nations. Another city player Saksham Wadhwa stood second in classical and received a silver medal while he finished third in rapid tournament to pocket a bronze medal.