A five-member Odisha blind chess team, featuring seven-year-old Ananya Anwesha Mishra, today left Bhubaneswar to compete in the AICFB National Team Chess Championship for the Visually Impaired, scheduled to be held at the Blind Peoples Association (BPA) in Ahmedabad, Gujarat from 31 October to 2 November 2025.

Other four players of the team are: Prachurya Kumar Pradhan, Subhendu Kumar Patra, Asit Kumar Mohanty and Nemai Das. According to a press release from the Odisha Chess Association for the Visually Challenged (OCAVC), the participation of Ananya will add a new dimension to the blind chess in India as she will be the youngest competitor in the history of the National Team Championship.

With the presence of international medalists Prachurya and Subhendu, Odisha team will ba a formidable force at the National championship. In the previous edition of the National championship, Odisha secured two individual silver and one bronze medal.

OCAVC expressed its gratitude to the Department of Sports & Youth Services, Government of Odisha for extending generous support, including travel and related expenses, for the participation of the State team.
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PHOTO: Players of Odisha team (L-R), Prachurya Pradhan, Subhendu Patra, Asia Mohanty, Nemai Das and Ananya Mishra, pose in Bhubaneswar on October 30 before leaving for Ahmedabad to participate in the National Team Chess Championship for the Visually Impaired 2025.