N R Visakh of Tamil Nadu, with 10 points, emerged National U-13 chess champion in the Open section after a tense final round at Multipurpose Indoor Stadium here on Sunday.
Steady and solid play saw Visakh, a student of Velammal Group of Schools, Chennai, annexing his first National title. Top seed and FIDE Master V R Aravindh Chithambaram (9.5) had to be satisfied with the runner-up spot, as Visakh kept winning and could never be caught. It was a twin triumph for hosts Tamil Nadu, who keep producing champions consistently for the past several decades.
With R Vaishali of TN clinching the title in the girls sectionwith a round to spare, the fight for the runner-up spot was intense, and finally it ended in a six-way tie. Woman Candidate Master Savant Riya of Goa, who had a mixed tournament, fought well in the second half, to finish second with superior tie-break. Behind Savant were Tejaswini Sagar, Bakshi Rutuja (both Mah), Potluri Supreetha (AP), A S Saughanthika (TN) on 8 points. With two National titles under her belt, 11-year-old Vaishali has set her sights on winning a gold medal in the World Youth Chess Championship at Maribor, Slovenia, next month. The cash prizes to the tune of `1,79,000 along with winner’s trophies were given away by Bharat Singh Chauhan, honorary secretary, All India Chess Federation. National Premier Champion G Akash of TN was honoured as a special invitee.
Final Placings
(Open): 1. N R Visakh (TN) 10 points, 2 V R Aravindh Chithambaram (TN) 9.5, 3-4: Pranav Vijay, A L Muthiah (both TN) 8.5, 5-10: Ritviz Parab (Goa), Abhimanyu Puranik (Mah), A Garg (Del), C Sai Vishwesh (TN), Manan Rai (Del), S Ajay Krishna (TN) 8; Girls: 1. R Vaishali (TN) 10.5, 2-7: Savant Riya (Goa), S Ananya (Kar), Tejaswini Sagar, Bakshi Rutuja (both Mah), Potluri Supreetha (AP), A S Saughanthika (TN) 8, 8-10: S Das (Tri), CH Meghna (Ker), C R Varsha (TN) 7.5.