Children’s Chess Carnival 2024 held at our School

Our School hosted the ‘Children’s Chess Carnival 2024’ organised by Derik’s Chess School, Mangaluru on the 28th of January in the School Auditorium.

The morning commenced with the dignified arrival of Chief Guest Mr Anil E Moraes, Assistant General Manager, Karnataka Bank, Mangaluru along with Principal Sr Melissa AC, Administrator Sr Carissima AC, Mr Derik Pinto the founder of Derik’s Chess School and Mr Prasanna Rao the Adminstrator of DCS. The audience erupted into applause as the guests were warmly welcomed to the event.

The invocation was a soul-stirring prayer song performed by the school choir, creating a serene and spiritual ambiance for the occasion. This was followed by a mesmerizing Welcome Dance performed by the school’s talented classical dancers, adding a touch of grace and respect for the guests. Mr. Prasanna, Administrator of Derik’s Chess School welcomed the Chief Guest, the other dignitaries and the participants.

The highlight of the inauguration was the symbolic first move of the Children’s Chess Carnival 2024, performed by the Chief Guest, other dignitaries and Chess enthusiasts Anshul Panicker and Ahaan Panicker of the host school, where the Chief Guest officially declared the tournament open.

In his address, Mr Anil Moraes expressed gratitude to the School and Derik’s Chess School for the opportunity provided to be the guest of the day. He highlighted the profound influence of Chess on young players, emphasizing its role in building relationships, fostering calmness, and enhancing focus. Following the inaugural address, Sister Carrissima, representing the school administration, shared words of encouragement and blessings for the young Chess enthusiasts. The Chief Referee, Mr. Prasanna Rao, then provided instructions about the tournament rules, ensuring fair play and adherence to the spirit of the game. In a closing note, the organizers expressed gratitude to the dignitaries, school management, Derik’s Chess School, and the entire Mount Carmel family for their whole-hearted support in making the Inaugural Function a resounding success. The program was emceed by Tr Purnima Bolar.

The Inaugural Ceremony concluded with the announcement of the commencement of the matches, marking the beginning of a day filled with strategic moves, learning, and joy for all participants.

The best awaited moment for about 300 participants that took part in the tournament was the prize distribution ceremony held in the evening at 5 p.m for which Sr Melissa A.C, the principal of the school and Sr Therese Teena A.C, the vice principal were the guests of honour. The winners had a smile on their face with increased self confidence mastering new skills and willing to accept the challenges. In her valedictory address, Sr Melissa said that Chess is a game that benefits all and has the unique ability to combine focus, concentration, imagination, coordination, team work and leadership, all at the same time. While she congratulated the winners for their excellent performance, she motivated those who lost, to learn from their mistakes and wrong moves in order to do better in the future tournaments. Mr Prasanna Rao, the administrator of DCS thanked everyone who assisted in the smooth conduct of the tournament while Mr Derik Pinto, the founder of DCS and other dignitaries offered them a memento each.

Sr Therese Teena, Mr Prasanna Rao, Mr Derik Pinto and Sr Melissa awarded the trophies and certificates to the participants who won the 1st five positions under each category separately for boys and girls in 4 categories, U-8, U-10, U-13 and U-16. The overall school championship trophy was bagged by Lourdes Central School, Mangaluru while St Aloysius Gonzaga School won the 1st runner up trophy and Mount Carmel Central School bagged the 2nd runner up trophy. Tr Leena Jose compered the valedictory ceremony.