Surya
Sekhar Ganguly Is The New Junior Champion
International
Master norm holder Surya Sekhar Ganguly of the Goodricke National Chess
Academy won the 29th Kaliswari Fire Works National Junior Championship
at Sivakasi on January 2 after beating S.Kidambi in a play off. Born
on February 24, 1983, this 16-year old earlier won the National `B' Championship
at Mumbai last year. It was his seventh National title and his first was
the Under 10 title at Trivandrum 1991. He has had a great run this year,
includes winning a top board prize in the National Cities Championship
at Nagpur. Son of an astrologer, Ganguly had played in several tournaments
outside India since 1991. He was second to Etienne Bacrot of France
in the World U-12 Championship in 1995. Well-known for the first
eleven year old to defeat a grandmaster (Gregory Serper) in the Goodricke
Open, Calcutta 1995 he is our brightest player from the east having come
of age.
Having a secret ambition (world champion?) this player who admires Bobby
Fischer learnt the game from Abhijit Majumdar and later at the Alekhine
Chess Club.
Still searching for a sponsor, he is a student of the Scottish
Church Collegiate School where he is in the eleventh standard. Ganguly
listens to music and reads story books. At Sivakasi, Ganguly scored 8/9
to win the title on play off. He will represent India in the next World
Junior at Armenia.