Surada Yashswi Satya Gangadhar, Kolla Bhavan, Mummana Venkata Ruthiwak, and Seetasagar Konaparthi, all with 6 points each, have been selected to represent Andhra Pradesh in the National U15 Open category. In the Girls category, V. Tripurambika (7.5 points) from Tirupati, Amanchi Naga Siva Sai Divya (6.5 points), Goddeti Hma Tejaswini (6.5 points), and Narayana Rishita (6 points) qualified to represent Andhra Pradesh in the National U15 Girls category. The Andhra Chess Association congratulated all the selected players for their achievements in the U15 State in their respective categories.
The U15 Open and Girls Chess Championships concluded at NEXTGEN School, Guntur, on October 17, 2024. Mr. YVK Chakravarthy, a FIDE Instructor and High Court Advocate, organized the championships on short notice. Over 150 participants, both boys and girls, took part in the event. On the first day, Sri K. Jagadish, Secretary of the Andhra Chess Association (ACA), inaugurated the tournament alongside Mr. Sudhir, Principal of NEXTGEN School. The closing ceremony was attended by Sri A. Suresh, President of ACA, Sri KVV Sarama, Chairman of ACA, Sri NM Phani Kumar IA, Organizing Secretary of ACA and Chief Arbiter of the tournament, Sri Mandula Rajeev, Joint Secretary of ACA, Sri K. Mallikharjuna, President of the Tirupati District Chess Association, Sri Suresh, Secretary of the Konaseema District Chess Association, and Sri YVK Chakravarthy, Tournament Director. Prizes were distributed to the winners during the ceremony.
The selected players received incentives covering the National entry fee, TA, dress code, and a lump-sum grant awarded by the ACA during the closing function. The ACA also informed that all players must register their names in the National entry portal, and it is the player's responsibility to register and pay the necessary entry fee for the Nationals. The selected players have been provided incentives for the National Championship. In case of non-participation, the player is required to refund the incentive, which will be passed to the next eligible player as decided by the Selection Committee.
It was also highlighted that only the top-50 position holders are eligible to represent Andhra Pradesh as special entries for the National Championship. If a player is unable to participate in the Nationals, they must inform the Andhra Chess Association in advance to allow the selection committee to choose the next-ranked players accordingly. Failure to do so may result in action being taken against the player as per the rules of the ACA.
Before the championship began, more than 10 players were not allowed to participate as their date of birth (DOB) certificates were not registered with the government authorised agency within one year of birth. All players are advised to verify the validity of their birth certificates before registration. From the next official tournament onwards, the ACA will implement a one-time DOB verification process on the apchess.org website. Players whose DOB is verified will be marked, and their birth certificates will not require scrutiny for any future official/open tournaments. Players who have not registered their DOB certificates within a year of birth must undergo a medical examination, as stipulated by the All India Chess Federation. For Details of Medical examination please visit www.indianchessfed.org . No exceptions will be made for any age group championships. The ACA officials also informed that if any organizer allows such players to participate in a championship, action will be taken against the organizer by the ACA/Disciplinary Committee. This decision follows the directives of the Sports Authority of Andhra Pradesh and the All India Chess Federation regarding age-group certificates.