Bangkok--Oct 27--SET
SET Weaves the Dreams of Young Chess Players by Hosting the “Thai Youth Chess Championship” on Oct.23 - Nov.7 Weekends The Present Champion in the Senior High School Category Will Defend His Title
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET), SETTRADE Dot Com, and the Thai Investors Association successfully hosted the “Thai Youth Chess Championship” with 290 contestants including Khun Ariya Tangsunthorntham, the current champion in the Senior High School Category, who will defend his title. The first match started on Saturday Oct.23.
The President of the SET, Mr. Kittiratt Na-Ranong, said that the SET, SETTRADE.Com Co., Ltd. and the Thai Investors Association place great importance on encouraging Thai youth to spend their school break usefully by playing sports whilst helping preserve traditional Thai sports like ‘Mak Rook’ or Thai chess, a game that requires concentration and thinking. The three organizations thus are jointly hosting the chess competition for youth.
“The competition will be open to all youth groups. We hope that Thai youth will contribute to preserving this traditional sport. There are as many as 290 contestants from all over the country joining in on this competition, making it one of the biggest chess competitions for youth ever held in Thailand. The highest number of contestants falls in the tertiary education level, with 108 contestants, a dramatic increased (up 192%) over the recent competition held on Apr.24 — May 16, 2004, in which only 37 contestants applied.”
The Thai Chess Championship is open to five levels of competitors:
- Junior primary school students aged not older than 10;
- Senior primary school students aged not older than 12;
- Junior high school students aged not older than 16;
- Senior high school students aged not older than 19;
- Tertiary education students aged not older than 25.
As the SET President continued: “This competition is drawing more interest than the previous one held in the middle of this year. This time we have two 6-year-old chess players participating—Panuphong Sethasit, a Grade 1 student from Pensmith School, and Supanida Srithassanakarn, a Grade 1 student from Kayha Bang Plee School. It will also very exciting to see Khun Ariya Tangsunthorntham, a 17-year-old grade 6 student from Satit Rajamangkala Ayudhya School, defending his championship in the Junior High School group.”
Prizes for the winners include:
Winner THB5,000 cash prize, trophy and certificate
1st runner-up THB3,000 cash prize, honorary plaque and certificate
2nd runner-up THB2,000 cash prize, honorary plaque and certificate
4th to 10th place winners THB500 cash prizes with certificates (consolation prizes)
The matches in every category will take place at ‘Krua Rim Rua’ at the SET Building from October 23 to November 7, 2004. There will be 5 rounds of matches on Saturdays from 9:00 — 16:00 hrs. and 4 rounds of matches on Sundays from 9:00 — 14:30 hrs. After all the matches in each category have been completed, the winners will be announced on Sunday, November 7 and prizes will be presented as well,” Mr. Kittiratt said.
People interested in catching the excitement of the game can watch the competition for free at the SET Building on Rachadapisek Road, adjacent to the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center. For more information, please call tel: 0 2229-2007-8.
For more information,
please contact the Corporate Communication Dept.:
Ladawan Kantawong Tel: 0-2229-2036 /
Rungrachnee Ariyapinyo Tel: 0-2229-2659 /
Kulvida Jintakawong Tel: 0-2229-2037 /
Nattaporn Boonprapa Tel: 0-2229-2049 End.