Kathmandu, August 18
Himalayan Queen’s Gambit, organised by the Himalayan Chess Academy, at St. Xavier’s College, Kathmandu, concluded on Sunday. Precious Adhikari has been crowned champion of the Himalayan Queen’s Gambit, organised by the Himalayan Chess Academy, defeating the challenge of 141 players on Sunday. She clinched the title with a score of 7 points.
In the one-day tournament held at St. Xavier’s College, Maitighar, Nihana Shrestha also remained unbeaten in the open section. However, a draw in the second round pushed her out of the title race. She finished as the runner-up with 6.5 points. Reshika Shrestha of Mahendra Secondary School secured third place with 6 points. Swastika Chaudhary, Dhanmantri Thapa, Meghna Adhikari, Sanskriti Gajurel, and Suhani Singh made it to the top eight.
On the occasion of the International Chess Federation’s (FIDE) Social Year 2025, eight tournaments are being held worldwide this August. Among them, the Himalayan Queen’s Gambit was organised as the only event from Asia. Based on the Swiss system, the competition featured four rounds of rapid and three rounds of blitz, with 142 participants, the highest-ever female participation in Nepali chess. This surpassed last year’s Himalayan Teej Tournament, which had 37 players.
In the school section, Manakamana Secondary finished first, Marvellous English Boarding School came second, and Mahendra Secondary School stood third. In the U-10 category, Anisha Tamang secured first place, Ananya Rauniyar second, and Ritika Sedhai third. Similarly, in the U-13 category, Vipasana Shakya came first, Nayuma Magar second, and Rijla Rajbhandari third. In the U-16 category, Sonalika Shah topped the section, followed by Yashvi Maharjan and Aarohi Shrestha in second and third.
Similarly, in the Veterans 50+ category, Rukmini Jimi became the champion, while Radha Rai finished as the runner-up. Among the special recognitions, Shubhani Pandit received the Best HCA award, Aakriti Nagarkoti was honoured as the Best Xavierian, Roshika Shrestha was awarded for Best Sportsmanship, Smarika Dumre was recognised as the Rising Player, and Sukshmayanka Jaishi received the Best Improvement Award.
The winners received trophies, medals, and certificates from National Sports Council Member-Secretary Tanka Lal Ghising, Ward Chair of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-4 Dinesh Maharjan, Senior Vice President of Nepal Chess Federation Dipen Rai, President of Koshi Province Chess Association Surendra Kumar Rai, Vice Principal of St. Xavier’s College Gehendra Bahadur Chand, and FIDE Commission for Women’s Chess member Monalisa Khambu, who is also a founder of Himalayan Chess Academy.
Palisha Govardhan, bronze medalist at the Paris Paralympics 2024, along with film director Dipendra Lama and St. Xavier’s College Principal Augustin Thomas, inaugurated the tournament by making the first moves on the chessboard.
