Fiji Times - 11/05/10 

THE 23rd Mohammed Badshah Memorial Open Chess Championship will be played in Suva on May 22.

The tournament, to be held at the Fiji School of Medicine Pasifika Campus, is expected to see the best chess players from around the country converge in the capital.

The championship is in honour of former medical student and keen chess player Mohammed Badshah, who died in a tragic car accident while on holiday in Canada.

Doctor Sanmogam Goundar, former classmate of Badshah, has been sponsoring the championship since its inception.

Goundar has again provided $1000 as cash prize for the memorial event.

Australia's former top player, international grandmaster, Ian Rogers, who won last year, will not be around to defend his title.

This will make the competition wide open among Fiji's elite players.

Candidate master Calvin Prasad and Manoj Kumar with Goundar and Neel Arora will be favourites for the tourney.

Youngsters like University of the South Pacific student Kong Man Yuen, secondary school champion Ashreet Singh of Mahatma Gandhi Memorial School.

Patrick Prasad, of Gospel High School, Wayne Areki of, Marist Brothers High School, and Hilda Vukikomoala of Saint Joseph's Secondary School are expected to feature prominently in the B category.