Geet Sethi, Pankaj Advani for inaugural Kolkata Open snooker

Kolkata, April 26 (IANS) City cueists will vie with the likes of former multiple world champions Geet Sethi and Pankaj Advani in the inaugural Kolkata Open National Invitation Snooker Championship to be played here May 4-9.

The six-day championship, with Rs.5 lakh prize money, will witness 13 national level and 11 amateur cueists from across the country fighting it out on a league-cum-knockout format.

Apart from Sethi and Advani other participants in the first such venture in eastern India include Asian Games silver medallists Aditya Mehta and Brijesh Damani, and former India no.2 Sourav Kothari.

"The event -- first of its kind being played in eastern India -- will give budding players from the city much needed exposure beside being a great experience for the fans of the sport. We hope to make it a regular calendar event and we are also working on getting international participation," said Alok Garodia, president of the Hindustan Club Ltd -- the organisers.

The tournament will be played in two categories -- main draw with 12 teams in four groups and the Pro-Am with 12 teams in four groups with each team comprising a professional and an amateur player.

The winner in the main draw will be richer by Rs.1 lakh while the Pro-Am champion will get Rs.60,000.