Highest sport honour of the state – Shiv Chatrapati Award
On 17th of February I won the Shiv Chhatrapati award. It was for my GM title which I won in 2013. I am happy that the state government recognized the efforts put in by chess players and feted me and other 13 players from Maharashtra with this award.
It was a proud moment for me and my family as I was honoured with the Shiv Chhatrapati award on 17th of February 2018 at the Gateway of India, Mumbai.
The Shiv Chhatrapati award is the highest award in the field of sports in Maharashtra and it feels really nice that the Government of Maharashtra recognized the efforts put in by chess players. Chess is not part of the normal Asian games, Commonwealth or Olympics and hence we always miss out on such awards because of the grading system used by the Government. My sincere thanks to all the members of All Marathi Chess Association (AMCA) and senior players and officials of Maharashtra Chess who spoke to the Government officials and made them understand this important point that chess requires different grading. Hence, this award was for my GM title that I achieved in 2013!
In my opinion, even the prestigious national awards like Arjuna, Dronacharya and others should have a different grading system for our chess players. This will ensure that the efforts of our players don’t go unnoticed. I thank my parents, sister and coaches for their support. This was a very pleasant evening before I embark on my journey to the land -6 degree celsius Moscow! The Aeroflot Open 2018 where I am the second seed. Look forward to a solid performance.
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