Pune, Sep 1 (IANS): The World Junior Chess Championship got a major boost Monday as the Maharashtra government released a grant of Rs.50 lakh for the Oct 5-20 tournament to be held here.

The cheque was handed over to Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte by state Sports Minister Padmakar Valvi.

“We are extremely thankful to Hon. Chief Minister, Shri Prithviraj Chavan, and his team for this grant which will go a long way in successful conduct of the championship. This initiative by the State Government will provide a great impetus to the game of chess not only in Maharashtra but also in India,” Maharashtra Chess Association (MCA) vice-president Aniruddha Deshpande said.

The tournament is being jointly organised by the MCA and the Pune District Chess Circle under the auspices of All India Chess Federation AICF and Federation Internationale des Echecs (FIDE).

About 250 players from 50 countries, including Grandmasters and International Masters, are expected to participate in the 15-day event that will be held at Hotel Hyatt, Viman Nagar.