Bengaluru: Young Apoorv Kamble won the FIDE-rated tournament at the Koramangala Indoor Stadium here on Wednesday. The event was powered by the Global Chess League in collaboration with Circle Chess and organised by Golden Aura Trust. The 17-year-old scored 8.5 points from nine rounds to clinch the title, with Sammed Jaykumar Shete finishing second and Vaidyanathan Kannan third. More than 700 players competed across age groups and rating categories.
The tournament was played over nine rounds in the Swiss format, with a time control of 10 minutes plus a five-second increment. It carried a total cash prize purse of Rs 4 lakh. Kamble said he had registered for the tournament at the last minute after returning from the Asian Junior Championship in Mumbai.
“I wasn’t planning to play this tournament as I had just returned from Mumbai. I decided to register at the last minute, and it turned out to be a great decision,” he said. “I had two strong wins against Sameer Shetty and top seed Vishak Enna. Finishing with 8.5 points gives me a lot of confidence. This win has given me more belief to take on higher-rated players without being intimidated,” he added.
Grandmaster Vishnu Prasanna, who has previously coached reigning world champion Gukesh D, was also among the participants. Gourav Rakshit, Commissioner of the Global Chess League, made the ceremonial first move on Board One before the fifth round.
“Road to GCL is about bringing the excitement of the Global Chess League closer to the chess community, and the response in Bengaluru has been extremely encouraging. Bringing more than 700 players together for a FIDE-rated rapid tournament reflects the city’s passion for chess, particularly among the younger generation,” Rakshit said.
“We are delighted to bring some of the world’s best chess players to Bengaluru for the Global Chess League and hope this event encourages more young players across India to take up the sport,” he added.