Johnas Sequeira
Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru

Mangaluru, Oct 22: In today's competitive world education and wealth have become the only definition of success. This has resulted in youngsters losing interest in sports and other activities. But here's a Mangalurean, Prachura P Padakannaya, who has made the city and the nation proud by winning the Millionaire Chess Tournament held in Las Vegas, USA held earlier this month.

The tournament had a total prize money of one million dollars, one of the highest in the history of the game, and consisted of different categories like the Open, U-2200, U-2000, U-1800, U-1600 and unrated. In each category the prize money was quite substantial.

23-year-old Prachura Padakannaya won the U-2200 section, taking home a whopping US$ 38,000 (close to Rs 25 lac), the third highest prize money ever won by an Indian.

Prachura P Padakannaya is the grandson of the late K V Padakannaya, who was a professor at St Aloysius College, Mangaluru. He is the son of Prateek Padakannaya who owns a business in Bengaluru and Poornima, who works at a government enterprise. Prachura holds a degree in structural engineering from Dayananda Sagar College of Engineering, Bengaluru. Currently he is pursuing masters in structural engineering at University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.

Originally hailing from the coastal city of Mangaluru, Prachura is an internationally rated chess player who has consistently been the Karnataka state chess champion. He has represented Karnataka state and India in several tournaments and won laurels for his state and country through his chess exploits. He took to playing chess when he was just four-and-a-half years old, and participated in his first district-level chess tournament when he was 4 years 11 months old. In the very first tournament, he bagged the title of the Best Young Player.

Prachura has represented India in two World Championships, in Spain and Greece, and secured silver and bronze medals in Commonwealth Championships. He was ranked 4th in the Asian Championships and has won several FIDE rated tournaments too. He was also the recipient of VTU's 'Best Sportsman' award in 2014, and also the VTU chess team captain between 2011 and 2014.

His chess team was the runner-up in GACC International inter-university chess championship held at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in January 2014, and bagged the third place in all-India inter-university chess championship held at Rahuri in Maharashtra in January 2014, first place in the inter-university south zone chess tournament held in November 2013 in Chennai, facing over 70 teams from South India.

Prachura's individual accomplishments:

Fourth place U-12 in the Asian Youth Chess Championships, Calicut, India, 2003
Sixth place U-10 in the Asian Youth Chess Championships, Tehran, Iran, 2002
Represented India U-10 in the World Youth Chess Festival, Crete, Greece, 2002
Represented India U-10 in the World Youth Chess Festival, Spain, 2001
Runner-up U-8 in the Smith & Williamson British Championship, UK, 2001
Third place U-9 in the Smith & Williamson British Championship, UK, 2001

Fide rated tournaments

First place in the fifth international FIDE rated open chess tournament, Palakkad, 2010
Best U-14 in Karnataka state FIDE rated tournament, Bengaluru, 2006
Played in 1st all-India FIDE rated open championship, Bengaluru, 2005
Played in B C Cochin all-India FIDE rated chess tournament, Ernakulam, 2004
Played in all-India FIDE rated chess tournament, Dharmapuri, 2003
Played in Late Babasaheb Ghokale International FIDE rat tournament, Sangli, 2003
Youngest international FIDE rated player of Karnataka, June 2003
Played in XI national youth (u 25) fide rating chess championship, Bengaluru, 2002
Played in all-India FIDE rated open chess tournament, Salem, 2002

Karnataka state championships

Second place in the state rapid chess championship, 2014
Second place in the 3rd state level open rapid chess championship, 2010
Third place in the state rapid chess championship, 2009
State champion in the state U-17 chess championship, 2008
State champion in the state U-25 chess championship, 2007
Third place in the state U-19 chess championship, 2006
State champion in the state U-25 chess championship, 2006
First place in the state U-13 chess championship open rapid, 2005
State champion in the state U-12 rapid chess championship, 2004
State champion in the 1st state blitz open chess championships, 2004
Best U-25 in the state rapid chess championship, 2004
First place in the state U-16 chess championship, 2003
Runner up in the state U-13 chess championship, 2003
Third place in the state U-12 rapid chess championship, 2002
State champion in the state U-11 chess championship, 2002
Best U-10 in the 1st state open rapid chess championship, 2002
State champion in the state U-12 chess championship, 2001
State champion in the state U-12 rapid chess championship, 2001
State champion in the state U-9 chess championship, 2001
Best U-14 in the Karavali challenge chess championship, 2001
State champion in the state U-9 chess championship, 2000
Best U-8 in the state open rapid chess championship, 2000