Kshitij Bhandari and Kritisara Adhikari Crowned National Chess Champions

At the Ramhari Krishna Memorial Third National Rapid and Second National Blitz Chess Championships held in Kathmandu, FM Kshitij Bhandari and Kritisara Adhikari emerged as the champions. Kshitij Bhandari scored 8.5 points in the Rapid category and a perfect 9 points in the Blitz category, making significant improvements in his individual rating. Female national rapid champion Kritisara Adhikari demonstrated an excellent performance with 6 points, matching a rating of 1910.

In the National Rapid Championship, Kshitij Bhandari, with a rating of 2136, secured the title by scoring 8.5 points over 9 rounds. He achieved an impressive individual rating increase of 31.4 points, reaching a peak rating of 2360. Additionally, in the Blitz category, Kshitij Bhandari from Makwanpur was declared the national champion with a full 9 points. Female rapid champion Kritisara Adhikari, holding a rating of 1759, secured the national title with 6 points.

On this occasion, national champion Kshitij Bhandari was awarded a cash prize of NPR 50,000, while female champion Kritisara Adhikari received NPR 15,000 along with a trophy, medal, and certificate. The national chess competition saw the participation of 180 players from various districts, with 53 players winning a total of NPR 300,000 in cash prizes across different categories. The event was chaired by club president Gopal Mali, and acting mayor Sunita Dangol described chess as an intellectual sport, expressing Kathmandu Metropolitan City’s commitment to promoting games.