Aim of Kunte’s Chess academy is to spread the awareness of the game and provide proper training. Kunte’s Chess Academy promotes chess for enriching the education of children.
In the journey from early stages, from 1995 to the date of establishment of academy in 2007 till date, the academy has provided the nation with many young promising talents.
Profile of every key person, outstanding performers:
Abhijit Kunte - Adviser
Born on 3rd March 1977
International Master since 1997
Best Achievements:
- Member of Indian Team for four Chess Olympiads – 1998, 2000, 2002, 2004
- Member of Indian Team for 12 years – 1998 to 2011
- Participated in three Chess World Cups – 2000, 2007 and 2009
- Won two Commonwealth Chess Championship (Individual) Medals – 1 silver and 1 bronze
- Won the British Championship in 2003 and thus became the last Indian/Foreign player to do so as the British Chess Federation banned the participation of Foreign players in this tournament.
- Winner of the prestigious Kolkata Open in 2004 thus becoming the first Indian to win that tournament.
- Was awarded the Shiv Chatrapati Award in 1998-99 by the Maharashtra Government.
Mrunalini Kunte-Aurangabadkar
Women’s International Master
Date of Birth – 23rd December 1973
Place of Birth & Residence – Pune
Achievements in Chess:
- Chess Olympiads
- Represented India in 1992 at Manila.
- Represented India in 1994 at Moscow.
- Represented India in 1996 at Armenia where she was awarded the International Master title.
- International Level
- Bronze medal in Asian Junior Girls in 1991 at Philippines.
- Bronze medal in Asian Junior Girls in 1993 at Australia.
- Finished 6th in World Sub-Junior in 1989 at USA.
- Finished 10th in World Under-18 in 1990 at Singapore.
- Finished 8th in World Under-20 in 1991 at Romania.
- National Level
- National Women’s Champion 1996 – Salem, Tamil Nadu.
- National Junior Champion 1990 – Vijaywada, Andhra Pradesh (With record score of 9/9).
- National Sub-Junior Champion 1998 – Pondicherry (With record score of 7/7).
- Awards
- Awarded the International Women’s Master title at the Chess Olympiad held in Armenia in 1996.
- Awarded the Chhatrapati Puraskar by the Govt. Of Maharashtra in 1990.
- Other Achievements
- A certified FIDE Instructor
- Contribution towards Chess
- Into chess coaching for more than 10 years.
- Director and Chief Coach of Kunte’s Chess Academy.
- Working with Symbiosis Spa Chess School (Pune) for last 3 years.
Abhishek Kelkar
International Master
Date of Birth – 18th February 1992
Place of Birth & Residence – Pune
Achievements in chess:
- International Level
- Represented India at Asian Under-10 in 2001 at Tehran.
- Participated in Asian Under-14 in 2004 at New Delhi.
- Participated in Asian Junior in 2007 at Mumbai.
- Played in 4 International Open events in 2009 in Spain. His rating increased by 90 points in these events.
- Participated in Asian Junior in 2010 at Chennai.
- Participated in the Dubai International Open in 2010.
- Participated in World Junior in 2011 at Chennai.
- Participated in 2 International Open events in Spain in 2013.
- Finished 6th in the Olomouc International Open in 2013 at Czech Republic.
- Achieved maiden International Master norm at the Kolkata International Open in 2014.
- Participated in Dubai International Open in 2014.
- Achieved the IM title at Dubai Open in 2015.
- National Level
- Finished in the 6th position at Under-7 National Tournament in 1999 at Aurangabad.
- Finished in the 3rd position at Under-9 National Tournament in 2000 at Chennai.
- Finished in the 6th position at Under-12 National Tournament in 2001 at Bangalore.
- Won Ashok Khare Memorial Open Rating Chess Tournament in 2005 at Pune.
- Won Rapid Rating Chess Tournament in 2012 at Pune.
- Contribution towards Chess
- Active member of CIS-Pune.
- District Co-ordinator of Chess in School Program of Pune in 2012-13.
- Coaching young talented players since 2008.
Evgeny Vladimirov - Adviser
Born on January 20, 1957
National Soviet Master since 1974
International Master since 1982
Grandmaster since 1989
Best results:
- Best results
- Junior Champion of the USSR – 1975
- Champion of the USSR under 26 – 1975 and 1981
- World Champion under 26 as a member of the Soviet team – 1981
- Champion of Kazakhstan (thrice, within 1987 – 1999)
- Winner of the European team Cup as a members of CSKA team (thrice; within 1984 – 1991)
- Winner of the Asian Cities Championship while playing for the Pavlodar team (thrice; within 2000 – 2007);
- Coaching Achievements
- FIDE Senior Trainer since 2004.
- Worked with Kasparov (1981 – 1986, i.e. during the period when the latter has become a World Champion); Grandmasters Vidit Gujrathi, Parimarjan Negi amongst others.
- Got ‘The Honored Coach of Azerbaijan’ title when Kasparov qualified for the World Championship match.
- For many years worked in India. Trained P.Harikrishna who belongs to the world chess elite now; P.Negi who has become the world’s youngest Grandmaster in 2006 and the Asian Champion in 2012; S.Grover – the world champion under 10, V.Gujarathi and many other Indian GMs and WGMs.
- The Asian Chess Federation awarded him ‘Best Coach of the Year 2013’ title.