GM Shyaam Nikhil P emerged as the champion of the MEPCO Sports Academy 1st International FIDE-rated Open Chess Tournament, scoring 8.5/9. Vignesh Kannan P, Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar and CM Sarveshwaran V finished on 8/9, making the race for the top places closely contested. The nine-round event featured a ₹2,00,000 prize fund, 56 cash prizes and 51 trophies. Photos: Jeyam Subbaiah

GM Shyaam Nikhil P clinched the title at RK Foundation Sivakasi CC & SCS 1st FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament 2025. Grandmaster Shyaam, the recent World Railways Gold medalist, displayed his formidable strength and took to an unbeaten 8.5/9. He finished half a point ahead of the rest of the field to secure a well-deserved victory. Two players IM Murali Krishnan B T and FM Maheswaran P finished with eight points each, and were placed second and third respectively based on tie-break scores. The tournament featured a total prize fund of ₹200000, with the top three prizes of ₹26000, ₹22000, and ₹17000 respectively, each accompanied by a trophy. This one-day, nine-round FIDE Rated Rapid Open Tournament was jointly organized by RK Foundation, Sivakasi Chess Club, Sivakasi Chess Sparklers, and Ramco Institute of Technology, Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu. Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C