Devansh Keshri receiving trophy from the chief guest in Katihar on May 31, 2026.
By A Correspondent
Patna: The Bihar State Under-13 Chess Championship, organised by the Katihar District Chess Association under the aegis of the All Bihar Chess Association, concluded today after four days of intense competition. The tournament, held at Agrasen Bhawan in Moffarganj, Katihar, had been underway since May 28. On the final day, top seed Devansh Keshri drew his match on Board No. 1 against Kishanganj’s Suronay Das while playing with the white pieces. With this result, Keshri secured the title with six points, finishing half a point ahead of his closest rivals. Suronay Das, with 5.5 points, was declared the runner-up.
Shivansh Barnwal of West Champaran also scored 5.5 points but finished third on tie-break scores.
In the girls’ section, Mohini Pandit of Saran, who had been leading the standings, shared points with Muzaffarpur’s Agrima Raj in the final round to seal the title with 5.5 points. Playing on Board No. 2, Aaradhya Prakash defeated Saharsa’s Anika Yadav with the white pieces to finish as runner-up with five points.
Agrima Raj of Muzaffarpur and Vanshika Maheshwari of Patna, both with 4.5 points, secured third and fourth places respectively.
The prize distribution ceremony was held after the final round. Chief Guest, Lok Sabha MP Tariq Anwar, along with Special Guests Usha Agrawal, Mayor of Katihar, and Rashmi Singh, District Council Chairperson, presented trophies and certificates to the winners.
Among those present on the occasion were Geet Avinash, Vice-President of the Katihar District Chess Association; Pratyush Kumar, Secretary and Chief Organiser; Dr Alok; Himanshu Kumar, Secretary of the Muzaffarpur District Chess Association; Chief Arbiter Nandkishore; Deputy Chief Arbiter Chandra Raj; Arbiter Meena Yadav; and several other dignitaries.
Top 10 Players – Girls’ Category:
1. Mohini Pandit (Chhapra) – 5.5
2. Aaradhya Prakash (Patna) – 5
3. Agrima Raj (Muzaffarpur) – 4.5
4. Vanshika Maheshwari (Patna) – 4.5
5. Anika Yadav (Saharsa) – 4
6. Manisha Yadav (Darbhanga) – 4
7. Saanvi Singh (Patna) – 4
8. Dhanvi Karmakar (Kishanganj) – 4
9. Rajshree (Patna) – 3.5
10. Aparna Sharma (Kishanganj) – 3.5
Top 10 Players – Open Category:
1. Devansh Keshri (Patna) – 6
2. Suronay Das (Kishanganj) – 5.5
3. Harshvardhan Singh (Darbhanga) – 5.5
4. Javin Jaiswal (Patna) – 5.5
5. Shivansh Barnwal (West Champaran) – 5.5
6. Rudra Veer Singh (Khagaria) – 5.5
7. Anant Shaurya Jha (Saharsa) – 5
8. Parthav (Muzaffarpur) – 5
9. Harsh Bharti (Vaishali) – 5
10. Md. Moin Hayat (Madhubani) – 5
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