KATHMANDU,June 15 : The Second University Chess Championship kicked off on Sunday at South Western State College in Basundhara, Kathmandu.
Himal Lama, Suraj Pandit and Saurabh Pradhan of Golden Gate, Kshitiz Bhandari of Kathmandu Engineering College, and Ashish Acharya of Pulchowk Campus won their opening matches.
Similarly, Ram Sharan Pandey of Thapathali Campus, Suman Rai of Pashupati Campus, Bikramdhwaj Shrestha of Tri Chandra Campus, Success Shrestha of South Western, Binita Kapali of Times International, Suryason Prajapati of Kathford, and Sabina Gujj of Kantipur Academy of Health and Science also started with wins.
A total of 53 players from 26 colleges will play seven rounds of matches each in Swiss League format during the four-day tournament.
The winner will represent Nepal at the 13th World University Chess Championship to be held in Poland from August 18 to 23. The championship is organized by the University Sports Association Nepal with technical support from the Nepal Chess Association.