Chennai, also known to be the mecca of Indian chess, has been traditionally hosting the strong Chennai Grandmaster International Open. This year’s edition concluded on a high note after local star and reigning National Blitz Champion GM Laxman Rajaram successfully clinched the trophy on Thursday.
In a high voltage action, the final round saw decisive results on top 4 boards. Consequently, five players tied for the first spot and GM Laxman Rajaram emerged as champion with better tie-break score.
The event saw three Indians bagging norms. Local girl C Lakshmi bagged a Woman International Master (WIM) norm, while International Master norms were bagged by Karthik Venkataraman of Andhra Pradesh and Nikhil Dixit from Maharashtra respectively.
Laxman went home richer by Rs 2 Lakh and a glittering trophy.
The awards ceremony was presided over by Bharat Singh Chauhan, Hon. Secretary, All India Chess Federation. Others present in the function include FIDE vice-president DV Sundar, Arjuna Awardee Manuel Aaron B Murugavel, vice-president, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association among others.
Final Ranking after 10 Rounds
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | ||
| 1 | 19 | GM | Laxman R.R. | IND | 2434 | ICF | 8,0 | 0,0 | 59,5 | 64,0 | 48,75 | 7,0 | ||
| 2 | 2 | GM | Rozum Ivan | RUS | 2595 | RUS | 8,0 | 0,0 | 59,5 | 63,0 | 50,00 | 7,0 | ||
| 3 | 1 | GM | Gareyev Timur | USA | 2605 | USA | 8,0 | 0,0 | 59,0 | 64,5 | 49,50 | 8,0 | ||
| 4 | 18 | GM | Dzhumaev Marat | UZB | 2434 | UZB | 8,0 | 0,0 | 57,0 | 62,0 | 49,50 | 7,0 | ||
| 5 | 25 | FM | Erigaisi Arjun | IND | 2386 | TEL | 8,0 | 0,0 | 55,0 | 59,5 | 47,25 | 6,0 | ||
| 6 | 14 | GM | Deepan Chakkravarthy J. | IND | 2475 | ICF | 7,5 | 0,0 | 60,5 | 65,5 | 47,25 | 6,0 | ||
| 7 | 9 | GM | Pruijssers Roeland | NED | 2536 | NED | 7,5 | 0,0 | 58,5 | 63,5 | 46,00 | 5,0 | ||
| 8 | 26 | IM | Sidhant Mohapatra | IND | 2382 | ODI | 7,5 | 0,0 | 57,0 | 61,5 | 45,25 | 6,0 | ||
| 9 | 27 | IM | Rathnakaran K. | IND | 2372 | KER | 7,5 | 0,0 | 56,5 | 61,5 | 45,25 | 6,0 | ||
| 10 | 23 | IM | Raghunandan Kaumandur Srihari | IND | 2402 | KAR | 7,5 | 0,0 | 55,0 | 59,5 | 43,75 | 6,0 |
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