“Some people think that if your opponent plays a beautiful game then it’s okay to lose. I don’t. You have to be merciless.” -Magnus Carlsen, Chess Grandmaster.
‘Agility’, SPIT’s premier inter-departmental sports event, is easily one of the most exciting events of the year. As the Outdoor events came to a thrilling conclusion, the anticipation for the Indoor events was palpable.
The Indoor events commenced on 7th October, carrying on till the 24th. The events- Chess, Carrom doubles, Carrom singles as well as Table Tennis took place more or less simultaneously, which created more buzz and attracted patrons of each of the disciplines.
Chess kicked off with the group stages, where 2 groups were formed with 5 players representing their respective branches. The top 2 players of each group qualified for the Elimination rounds. In one of the groups, the top 2 participants, Madhav Lohati of FE Computers and Tanmay Varade of TE Electronics finished level on points, leading to a fiery rematch contest. The rematch ended with Madhav clinching the victory and progressing to the elimination rounds. The event concluded with Shreyas of TE Electronics in 1st place, Madhav of FE Computers in 2nd while Madhur of SE IT in 3rd.
Next up was Table Tennis, which took place in the Gymkhana. The thrilling matches and electrifying pace of the game made for an unforgettable atmosphere. The event attracted huge crowds who had come to passionately support their branch. One of the most memorable and nail-biting encounters took place between Aditya of TE ETRX and Mihir of FE Computers, with Aditya edging the victory as well as finishing in 3rd place. Adwait Kaudanya of SE EXTC captured 1st place with Yash Wadalkar of SE EXTC bagging second place.
Carrom was played in singles as well as doubles, making for a fantastic set of contests. The biggest upset of the event came when the double team of Jash Jain and Rishabh Jain of FE Comps eliminated the famous duo of Rahul and Poojan of BE Comps, who have made the finals of this event on 3 successive occasions. The duo of Omkar D and Tanmay from TE ETRX bagged 1st while Jash and Rishabh from FE Computers finished 2nd. Omkar G and Prasad from TE ETRX clinched 3rd place. Carrom singles concluded with Dhiraj from FE EXTC grabbing 1st place, Nikhil from FY MCA grabbing 2nd and Mandar from TE ETRX claiming 3rd.
“All the participants were very focused and competitive. Some of them impressed me with their experience and understanding of the game. As for the organization, I felt that the coordinators had explained the rules and point system quite well, which led to a steady flow and matches being held according to schedule.” -Rishabh, FE IT.
Towards the end of the event, the final standings were 134 for ETRX, 118 for runners up EXTC, Computers coming in third with 71, IT with 30 and finally MCA with 18. The players congratulated their buddies for the healthy and tough competition, who can barely wait for the next iteration of the games.
By Sharli, Aman and Kaustubh