
Top seeds have it easy in opening round
Panaji: There were no surprises on the opening day of the 24th World IPCA Chess Championship after the leading players picked up wins at Dona Paula on Tuesday.
The tournament is open to players with physical disabilities of 50% or higher.
The first round witnessed easy victories by top-seeded players, setting the tone for the rest of the tournament. Leading the pack is International Master (IM) Molenda Marcin (Poland), followed by IM Gurbanov Andrei (Israel), who is also the IPCA president.
Top seed IM Molenda Marcin, along with IM Andrei Gurbanov, FM Sargissyan Sargus, FM Soltanov Sorik, IM Obodchuk Andrei, FM Lipillin Llia, Giazan Domagoz, FM Valenta Vit Vaclav, Gedgafor Chamal, WIM Leszner Liliana, Ayapov Alimzhan , IM Campos Eugenio and Takharova Evgeniya were some of the other notable winners on day one.
The tournament has attracted 97 participants from 18 federations across the globe, making it one of the most inclusive and diverse championships.
The participating federations include Angola, Armenia, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, FIDE, France, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Nepal, Philippines, Poland, Slovakia, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam.
The opening day not just showcased talent and determination of the participants, but also underscored the power of sports in fostering inclusion, dignity, and global unity.
The second and third round will be played on Wednesday.

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