BHUBANESWAR 29-Mar-2015 70
Chennai Grandmaster Rajaram R Laxman won the title in the 3rd Bhubaneswar Open All-India Fide Rating Chess Tournament, which concluded here at Hotel Empires today. An employee of Integral Coach Factory, 32-year-old Laxman finished with eight points, winning seven games and drawing the remaining two.
Laxman pocketed the top prize of Rs 75,000. Top seed and Railway IM Himanshu Sharma finished runner-up with 7.5 points and took home the second prize of Rs 45,000. The third prize of Rs 25,000 went to Maharashtra IM Vikramaditya Kulkarni, who ended up with seven points.
Among Odisha players, Fide Master Soumya Ranjan Mishra was most successful, securing seventh position in the final standings with 6.5 points. Former Odisha Police DG Sarat Chandra Misra handed over the prizes in the presence of host Khordha District Chess Association Subhasis Patnaik.
Altogether 165 players from 12 states joined the nine-round tournament, which was inaugurated by Police DIG Diptesh Patnaik earlier on March 25. The five-day tournament carried a total prize fund of Rs 5 lakh.
FINAL STANDINGS (Top 10): 1. RR Laxman (8), 2. Himanshu Sharma (7.5), 3-6: Vikramaditya Kulkarni, S Ravi Teja, Mitrabha Guha, Harikrishnan AR (7 each); 7-10: Soumya Ranjan Mishra, Rakesh Kumar Jena, Hirthickkesh Pr, J Ramakrishna (each 6.5).
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PHOTO: Prize winners, guests and officials at the presentation ceremony in Bhubaneswar on March 29, 2015.
