Bristol Student Wins $1k Cash Prize At Chess Tournament

By Dean Wright, The Bristol Press

June 14, 2022

Jithya Sajeevan, 13, a Bristol student who attended Greene-Hills School, won a $1,000 cash prize after taking first in her age category at the annual Foxwoods Chess Open Tournament, competing among some of the best young chess players in the country.

The event was held at Foxwoods Resort Casino & Hotel in Mashantucket where Sajeevan competed with over 300 other individuals.

“I feel good because it was my first time winning a big tournament,” said Sajeevan. “This definitely wasn’t an easy tournament and I’ve been practicing since January for this.”

“I play chess every day and work on my weaknesses,” she continued. “I think every game is an opportunity for me to learn new things so I keep playing.”

However, the young competitor also credited her older brother, Jithu Sajeevan, also of Bristol, as being a major influence in developing her game skills. Jithu, 20, is director of operations for Team DIG USA, an organization that focuses on improving youth through private instruction and practices, whether through academic tutoring or game and sports coaching. Jithu was the chess coach of the organization and said he travels across the country to compete himself.

“I taught her how to play and she got into it because of watching me,” he said. “My whole family is from India. I picked up chess in the seventh grade. She’s been playing for three years now. Right now, she’s learning by herself and she also coaches a girl’s chess class in Bridgeport.”

Jithya said that it feels good to have her brother as a coach.

“He helps me become a better chess player,” said Jithya. “He tells me what exactly I need to do to win.”

Jithu said it was important to see his sister involved with and teaching chess because it is a male-dominated activity. His sister is being considered to attend the St. Luke’s School in New Canaan for her playing ability.

“I try to be very patient until my opponent makes his first mistake,” said Jithya. “Once he/she does that, I immediately take advantage of that and keep it going until I win.”

Jithu also noted that besides Jithya’s big victory, he had another student he coached named Sebastian Lopez who placed second in his age category at the tournament.

“I currently teach at five different schools and over 50 students,” he said. “I don’t just teach chess, but use this game as a tool to help my students learn many important life lessons.”