PUNE: The third edition of the Maharashtra Chess League (MCL) is all set to kick off from June 11 at PYC Hindu Gymkhana. The event which will be organised by Pune District Chess Circle in association with Maharashtra Chess Association will have Grans Master Koneru Humpy participate for the first time. “The league is an interesting platform for young players to showcase their talent. It can prove to be as a role model for other chess events in India,” said Humpy.
The world number two along with other GMs like Abhijeet Gupta, Vidit Gujarathi have confirmed their participation.
The third edition of the league will be played between six teams and will have eleven GMs, six Women Grand Masters and nine international masters who would be participating in the league. Some of the other renowned players who are likely to participate are Aravindh Chitambaram, Swati Ghate and Soumya Swaminathan.
Talking about her preparations for upcoming competitions and MCL, Humpy said, “The format of the league is interesting, it will give me a chance to play against top players as well as young talent. It’s a good competition to prepare myself for the upcoming international competitions.” She also added that the scenario for women chess players in India is improving but the players are lagging behind countries like Russia and China. Humpy will play for Mumbai Movers in the league.
Young Grand Master Vidit Gujarathi, who is playing for Jalgaon Battlers was also excited about the league and for the fact that it is being played in an open format. It is Gujarathi’s third year at league and he said that he has witnessed the immense growth of the tournaments in the last two years.
Grand Master Abhijeet Gupta who hails from Rajasthan is participating in MCL with Ahmednagar Checkers.
Source: http://www.punemirror.in