Sriram earns his first IM-norm
Sriram Adarsh Uppala of Telangana emerged victorious in the 25th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament, held from August 22nd to 28th, 2024, at Hotel Le Palace, Chennai. Uppala secured the top position with an impressive score of 7/9, remaining unbeaten throughout the event. This win earned him his first International Master norm and a winner's purse of US$ 500.
25th IM Circuit Tournament winner Sriram Adarsh Uppala receives his prize money from Chief Guest - Grandmaster Srinath Narayanan from Chennai
Russian IMs Alexander Slizhevsky and David Gochelashvili both finished with 6 points, but due to better tie-breaks, Slizhevsky claimed the second place and US$ 300, while Gochelashvili took third place, winning US$ 200.
25th IM Circuit Tournament prize winners - Sriram Adarsh Uppala, IM Alexander Slizhevsky and IM David Gochelashvili along with the Chief Guest GM Srinath Narayanan, Mr. P Stephen Balasamy, Secretary, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Prof. R Anantharam, Vice President, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Mr. R Srinivasan, Treasurer, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association and Chief Arbiter - IA Bhaskar.
The tournament was inaugurated by Grandmaster Karthikeyan Murali in the presence of Mr. P Stephen Balasamy, Secretary, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Mr. M Ephrame, Vice President, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Mr. R Srinivasan, Treasurer, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association and Mr. Bhaskar, Chief Arbiter. GM Srinath Narayanan from Chennai distributed the prizes to the winners.
Sriram Adarsh Uppala showcased fantastic positional understanding combined with tactical alertness to beat IM-elect FM Harshad S in the final round
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | Sriram, Adarsh Uppala | IND | 2195 | 7 | 0 | 28,25 | 5 | |
| 2 | 4 | IM | Slizhevsky, Alexander | RUS | 2381 | 6 | 0,5 | 23,75 | 3 |
| 3 | 9 | IM | Gochelashvili, David | RUS | 2230 | 6 | 0,5 | 22,00 | 4 |
| 4 | 3 | FM | Daakshin, Arun | IND | 2290 | 5,5 | 1 | 20,50 | 4 |
| 5 | 10 | GM | Manik, Mikulas | SVK | 2320 | 5,5 | 0 | 21,25 | 3 |
| 6 | 1 | FM | Jaiveer, Mahendru | IND | 2220 | 4,5 | 0 | 16,00 | 3 |
| 7 | 8 | FM | Harshad, S | IND | 2275 | 4 | 0 | 17,00 | 0 |
| 8 | 6 | Adharsh, K | IND | 2268 | 2,5 | 0 | 12,25 | 0 | |
| 9 | 7 | GM | Annageldyev, Orazly | TKM | 2271 | 2 | 0,5 | 6,50 | 0 |
| 10 | 5 | WGM | Uuriintuya, Uurtsaikh | MGL | 2213 | 2 | 0,5 | 5,50 | 1 |
About the Author
M Ephrame is a Category A level International Arbiter, FIDE Instructor and Vice President of Tamil Nadu State Chess Association. He was also the Tournament Coordinator for the 17th and 25th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament 2024.
The report was edited by Shahid Ahmed
