Thursday will be a significant day for city-based chess Grandmaster Lalith Babu for he will be showing his bosses and colleagues at the Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) the bronze medal he won at the Commonwealth Chess Championship that concluded at New Delhi on Tuesday.
First medal
for the company
This is the 22-year-old GM’s first medal for the company which has offered him a Grade I officer job for his relentless exploits in the game of 64 square for more than a decade.“I lost to the ultimate champion Abhijit Gupta in the sixth round and drew with A. Das of Kolkata to finish third,” rued the former Siddhartha Arts College student, on his arrival to city.
The podium finish had Lalith richer by Rs. 1 lakh which will be given away by the Sports Authority of India.
Year 2015 so far has been encouraging as the champion has garnered 40 Elo points to enhance his rating to 2571. “The next major tournament will be the Asian continental, a selection tourney for the World Cup, scheduled to be held at U.A.E in August.”
The Commonwealth Chess Championship has been Lalith’s favourite hunting place for he had won three medals in the earlier editions.
“I won gold in the 2012 Chennai edition and two bronze in 2010 (Delhi) and 2013 (South Africa). I finished fourth in the Glasgow edition in 2014,” said the Grandmaster. Lalith will be preparing for the future tournaments with the new laptop, which was sponsored by the Andhra Cricket Association and he has packed the gadget to brim with latest chess software.
More than the champion, his mother Padma, is happy for her son as he was offered a job at the IOC.
She literally ran from pillar to post representing her son’s case with the officials.
“I am happy he brought laurels to his company so early.”
Lalith Babu wins a bronze medal at the Commonwealth Chess Championship
