Precious Adhikari became the champion of the Himalayan Queens Gambit chess tournament on Sunday. She secured the title with a perfect score of seven points, overcoming the challenge of 141 players.
Other Top Performances
-
Nihana Shrestha remained unbeaten in the open section but a draw in the second round pushed her out of title contention. With 6.5 points, she finished second.
-
Reshika Shrestha of Mahendra Secondary School secured third place with 6 points.
-
Swastika Chaudhary, Dhanmantri Thapa, Meghna Adhikari, Sanskrity Gajurel, and Suhani Singh completed the top eight standings.
Tournament Highlights
The one-day tournament was held at St. Xavier’s College, Maitighar, and organized by Himalayan Chess Academy.
-
Participants ranged from 7 years to 67 years old.
-
This year’s tournament recorded a historic 142 female participants, the highest in Nepal’s chess history.
-
Last year’s Himalayan Teej Tourney had 37 players, a number significantly surpassed by this edition.
Global Recognition
The Himalayan Queens Gambit was part of the International Chess Federation (FIDE) Social Year 2025 celebrations. In August alone, eight such events were held worldwide, with this being the only one in Asia.
Tournament Format
-
Swiss System was applied.
-
Four rounds of rapid chess and three rounds of blitz chess were played.
School and Age-Group Winners
School Category
-
First: Manakamana Secondary
-
Second: Marvelous Boarding
-
Third: Mahendra Secondary
Under-10
-
First: Anisha Tamang
-
Second: Ananya Rauniyar
-
Third: Ritika Sedhai
Under-13
-
First: Vipassana Shakya
-
Second: Nayuma Magar
-
Third: Rijala Rajbhandari
Under-16
-
First: Sonalika Shah
-
Second: Yashvi Maharjan
-
Third: Aarohi Shrestha
Veteran 50+
-
Winner: Rukmani Jimi
Prize Distribution
The winners were awarded by:
-
Tanka Lal Ghising, Member Secretary of the National Sports Council
-
Dinesh Maharjan, Ward Chairperson of Kathmandu Metropolitan City-4
-
Other distinguished guests
