BHUBANESWAR 17-Sep-2015
Railway IM Swapnil Dhopade lived up to his reputation as the top seed by winning the title in the 4th Keshabananda Das Memorial All-India FIDE Open Rating Chess Tournament at Hotel Empire here today. But the reigning National Challenger champion narrowly missed the opportunity to become the latest Grandmaster of the country.
Dhopade, 25, drew his 10th and last game against defending champion and Tamil Nadu IM Srinath Narayanan to bag the title with 8.5 points and take home the top prize of Rs 1.5 lakh. The impressive performance enabled Dhopade add 13.5 Elo points to his current rating of 2483. Another 3.5 Elo points would have made him eligible for the coveted GM title.
But Dhopade, who hails from Amravati town of Maharashtra, was not too disappointed for the missed opportunity. ``I have been playing this tournament for three years. Last year I was runner-up behind Srinath. Winning the title this time has immensely boosted my confidence. As far as GM title is concerned, I will try to achieve it in the next tournament,`` he said.
Dhopade`s fellow Railway IM S Nitin held Grandmaster R R Laxman to a draw in the final round to finish runner-up with 7.5 points. He became richer by Rs 1 lakh, while Narayanan (7) ended third to pocket Rs 50,000. KIIT University student Utkal Ranjan Sahoo was the most successful Odisha player, finishing a creditable seventh with seven points.
Former Odisha Chief Secretary S B Mishra handed over the trophy in the presence of All Odisha Chess Association vice-president Ranjan Mohanty, secretary Vivek Tibarewal and host Khordha District Chess Association secretary Subhasis Patnaik. The week-long tournament carried a total prize fund of Rs 5.25 lakh. Altogether 109 players from 18 state and institutions joined the 10-round tournament, which was earlier inaugurated by State Food Supply Minister Sanjay Kumar Das Burma.
FINAL STANDINGS (Top 10): 1. IM Swapnil S Dhipade (Rly, 8.5), 2. IM S Nitin (Rly, 7.5), 3. IM Srinath Narayanan (TN, 7.5), 4. Himal Gusain (Chan, 7.5), 5. Al Muthaiah (TN, 7), 6. GM RR Laxman (ICF, 7), 7. Utkal Ranjan Sahoo (KIIT, 7), 8. IM CRG Krishna (AP, 7), 9. Sammed Jaykumar Shete (Mah, 7), 10. IM Rahul Sangma (Rly, 7).
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PHOTO: Champion Swapnil Dhopade (Middle) with first runner-up S Nitin (Right) and second runner-up Srinath Narayanan in Bhubaneswar on Sept 17, 2015
