City kid to play in chess championship

HYDERABAD: Andhra Pradesh has become a nursery for the game of chess. Koneru Humpy, P Harikrishna and D Harika have carved a niche for themselves and popularised it, setting an example for others to follow. Among those walking in their footsteps is 7-year-old Raja Rithvik from Warangal.This third class student of St Gabriel School in the city, who has been playing the game from the age of four, will represent India at the seventh Asian Schools Chess Games under-7 category to be held in New Delhi from December 16 to 23. Rithvik, who has an international rating of 1566,  is the second seed in this category. An Uzbek player being the top seed. Players from India, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, the UAE, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia are participating in the championship.Rithvik is the State champion in this category and won titles in the national championship at Pune and Bhubaneswar. AP players have performed exceedingly well in the Asian tournament in the past. “We have a good record in these tournaments and Rithvik is a talented player,” said K Kanna Reddy, secretary of AP State Chess Association.