Chess Queen on Cloud Nine!

From the Goa (India) Herald online edition, September 1, 2007: Ivana Furtado could not stop smiling late on Friday evening. Goa’s chess queen, who won the under-8 Asian Youth chess championship title in Al Ain (UAE) a couple of days ago, arrived at the Karmali station this evening and was besieged by a battery of journalists, both from the print and electronic media. Ivana, India’s youngest World Champion, smiled all along and seemed to bask in the attention. But amidst all the congratulatory notes, Ivana could not say much. “I am very, very happy,” was all that Ivana told waiting reporters after much prodding. “She speaks very little,” Ivana’s father Eli later told Herald even as the electronic media pressed for a sound byte. In Al Ain, Ivana was at her best as she worked her way to the top. Even a second round upset at the hands of Mongolian girl Uran-Erdene in just 22 moves did not deter her. Ivana’s next assignment is the World Youth Chess Championship in Turkey, starting November 17. And the chess prodigy has set her eyes firmly on retaining the title she won last year in Georgia. “Now it gets more and more difficult,” Eli told this paper. “Ivana’s games are on the internet. Her moves are well documented and opponents can plan games against her,” he continued. Sameer Salgaoncar, president of the Goa State Chess Association, has no doubts that Ivana can snatch the world title from right under everyone’s nose. “She is dedication personified putting in seven to eight hours of training everyday. Her coach Raghunath Gokhale is a Dronacharya awardee and among the best brains in the business,” disclosed Sameer. Ivana has now won a record eight international titles since December, 2005. Amongst others, Sports Authority of Goa Executive Director V M Prabhudessai, Director of Coaching Brahmanand Shankwalkar and GSCA secretary Suhas Asnodkar were present at the station. ************************************************************************************* Good luck to Ivana. What an interesting name - "Ivana" sounds Russian or Eastern European; "Furtado" sounds Spanish or Portuguese. And she lives in and plays for India. Wow!