Khordha boy Manish Mishra and Cuttack girl Shradha Smaranika Nanda won the two titles in the Odisha State Under-17 Chess Championships, which was organised by Jharsuguda District Chess Association (JDCA), under the aegis of All Odisha Chess Association (AOCA) at MCL Kalyan Mandap in Brajarajnagar from 30 August to 2 September 2025.
Second seed Manish clinched the title in the open category, remaining unbeaten throughout the championship. He scored 7.5 points out of a possible eight, winning seven games and drawing one. Top seed Stitaprangya Sahoo (Khordha) lost to Manish in the fifth round and finished runner-up with seven points (7 wins, 1 loss).
In the girls category, second seed Shradha emerged champion with 6.5 points (5 wins, 3 draws). Seeded second, Shradha not only remained unbeaten in the entire tournament, but also caused a major upset, defeating top seed and Commonwealth medallist Yashita Rout, who settled as runner-up with 6.5 points (6 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss). Tie-breaker determined the champion and runner-up rankings.
Top two finishers of the State championship qualified to represent Odisha in forthcoming National Under-17 Chess Championship to be held later this year. A total of 96 players from nine districts participated in the four-day State championship, which carried a total prize fund of Rs 20,000. The tournament organizers also arranged free dormitory accommodation for all participants.
Former Brajarajnagar MLA Alaka Mohanty inaugurated the tournament, while Lakhanpur Tehsildar Shraddhakar Kumbhar handed over the trophies at the closing ceremony. Brajrajnagar Municipality Chairman Krishna Gopal Sitani, AOCA president Satyaranjan Pattnaik, secretary Debabrata Bhatta, joint-secretary Bhabesh Mohanty, JDCA president Kishore Mohanty, secretary Padmini Singh, Bargarh District Chess Association secretary Kesha Ranjan Pradhan and chief arbiter Suresh Chandra Sahoo were present either in the opening or closing ceremonies.
FINAL RANKINGS:
OPEN CATEGORY (Top 10): 1. Manish Mishra, Khordha (7.5), 2. Stitaprangya Sahoo, Khordha (7), 3. Soyam Laxmidatt D Sabat, Cuttack (6.5), 4. Yuvraj Badhan, Jharsuguda (6), 5. Aayavanth Mohanty, Khordha (6), 6. Dibyansu Das, Khordha (6), 7. Chandan Dharai, Jharsuguda (5.5), 8. Aditya Kumar Saw, Sundargarh (5.5), 9. Garv Kerketta, Jharsuguda (5.5), 10. Abhinav Jena, Sundargarh (5.5).
GIRLS CATEGORY (Top 5): 1. Shradha Smaranika Nanda, Cuttack (6.5), 2. Yashita Rout, Khordha (6.5), 3. Swayamshree Saisnata, Sundargarh (5.5), 4. Pritisha Mitra, Puri (5), 5. Padmini Panigrahi, Ganjam (5).
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PHOTO: Title winners and runners-up of the Odisha State U-17 Chess Championships pose with guests and organising officials in Brajarajnagar on 2 September 2025.