Darpan irani

SAI International Residential School: The 18th National Chess Championship for the visually challenged saw an exhilarating finale with Gujarat’s Darpan Irani crowned the National Champion, edging past multiple-time winner Kisan Gangolli on tie-breaks after both players finished with 7.5 points.

The top five winners of the championship were: Darpan Irani (Champion), Kisan Gangolli (Runner-Up), Aryan B Joshi (Third), Soundarya Pradhan (Fourth) and Milind Samant (Fifth) while players placed sixth to tenth also received recognition and rewards for their outstanding performance.

The competition, organised by the All-India Chess Federation for the Blind (AICFB) in collaboration with the Odisha Chess Association for the Visually Challenged (OCAVC), featured 54 skilled players (52 men and 2 women) from 15 states and union territories, including top-ranked names like Aryan B Joshi, Soundarya Kumar Pradhan, Milind Samant and more.