A prelude on LBHM 30 lacs prize money chess festival
The month of May is going to witness a lot of rating chess tournaments. Among them, the fourth edition of Late Bharatbai Halkude Memorial Chess Festival is offering a combined prize fund of over 30 lacs across three tournaments - Classical, Below 1600 and Rapid. The festival will take place from 13th to 21st May in Pune. There are a dozen prizes which are over ₹100000 each combining Open and Below 1600 event. So far two GMs and seven IMs have already registered in the Classical and Rapid events. So hurry up and register now if you haven't yet. Check out the details and preview of the tournament written by the Chief Arbiter of the event - IA R Anantharam. Photo: Tournament Circular
LBHM Chess Festival, Pune is here to break the records
Of late, FIDE rated chess tournaments are shaping into new dimensions, with the organisers pouring in huge prize money. Recently there have been tournaments with prize moneys of 24 and 25 lacs in the form of chess festivals. Here comes the record-breaking Late Bharatbai Halkude Memorial (LBHM) chess festival (13th to 21st May 2023), Pune, offering a never before 30 lacs and more prize money for the three varieties of tournaments – open, below 1600 and rapid, of course, except Delhi Open. Have you ever heard about a chess festival or a tournament providing a colossal and gigantic six hundred and thirty three prizes in the form of cash, trophies and medals? It is unbelievable and LBHM does so.
The LBHM chess festival from 13th to 21st May comprises three components – the open tournament from 13th to 17th May, carrying a cash prize of Rs. 14,00,212, rapid rating tournament with a cash prize of two lacs on 18th and the below 1600 rating tournament from 19th to 21st May, which offers another 14 lacs and 22 rupees as the prize money. The total prize money amounts to Rs.30,000,234. In the history in Indian chess, the number of prizes worth one lac or more is the second best after the Delhi Open 2018. While the Delhi Open had 18 prizes (of 1.11 crore rupees), LBHM furnishes 12 such prizes of more than one lac each. An amazing prize structure. Be steady to look at the prizes and let your head not spin.
No wonder that already two Grandmasters Sayantan Das and Saptarshi RoyChowdhury both from Railways and West Bengal and seven more international masters including Neelash Saha of West Bengal and young Kushagra Mohan of Telangana have put their names on the roll call.
Apart from the huge prize money, what else does the tournament offer?
• A beautiful venue – Dhruv Global School, Katraj – Undri bypass road, Undri, Pune
• AC playing hall
• Free dormitory accommodation at the venue for 200 persons
• Separate waiting hall for parents
• Free pick up and drop facility from different parts of Pune
• Separate dining hall at a nominal rate
• 90 parents who attend the prize distribution function will get amusement park coupons
Prominent Players Registered So Far
Neelash Saha is a former national junior champion and he is bound to increase the number of grandmasters in India very soon.
IM Kushagra Mohan won the team gold medal in the 10th Asia Pacific Youth Sports Games, Russia 2022.
International Master K Ratnakaran of Southern Railway is a seasoned chess veteran and a former Asian junior bronze medallist.
The first edition of the LBHM tournament in 2018 was won by IM Rajesh VAV of South Central Railway and the next one was clinched by Grandmaster M R Venkatesh of PSPB. IM Nubairshah Shaikh was the champion in 2012.
The tournament director, 42-years-old Nagnath Halkude, a rated chess player from Sangola, near Sangli in Maharashtra is highly passionate with chess and organises the tournament in memory of his father.
Nagnath does not want to organise his rating tournament in an ordinary manner like most of the tournaments. He wants to make it special and innovative.
Entry fee: Rs.7000 for open and below 1600 each. If paid for both before 5th May, it will be Rs.12000. Registration for the tournament has to be done through here. Entries with a late fee of Rs.500 will be accepted until 10th May for the Open. For the below 1600 category, the last date is 10th and with a late fee of Rs.500/-, it is 16th. The entry fee for the rapid tournament is Rs.1000/- until 10th and a late fee of Rs.300/- will be levied and received until 17th.
Why do you still wait to join this great tournament? Hurry up and register.
Players list in Open
| No. | Name | ID | FideID | FED | Rtg | sex | Typ | Club/City | ||
| 1 | GM | Das, Sayantan | 65002021 | 5034426 | IND | 2516 | Due : AICF Renewal | |||
| 2 | IM | Neelash, Saha | 64812021 | 5094160 | IND | 2436 | WB | |||
| 3 | IM | Kushagra, Mohan | 27252021 | 25033638 | IND | 2400 | TG | |||
| 4 | GM | Roy Chowdhury, Saptarshi | 28102021 | 5002974 | IND | 2273 | Due : AICF Renewal | |||
| 5 | IM | Ratnakaran, K. | 48672021 | 5005507 | IND | 2257 | KL | |||
| 6 | IM | Abhishek, Kelkar | 24192021 | 5019257 | IND | 2217 | MH-Pune | |||
| 7 | IM | Sahu, Sekhar Chandra | 47242021 | 5000157 | IND | 2013 | S55 | Due : AICF Renewal | ||
| 8 | Sinha, Sushil Kumar | 1830992023 | 5012015 | IND | 1953 | S55 | BR | |||
| 9 | IM | Ramnathan, Balasubramaniam | 77152021 | 5001277 | IND | 1929 | TN | |||
| 10 | IM | Hegde, Ravi Gopal | 302002021 | 5000254 | IND | 1916 | S55 | KA |
Players list in Below 1600
| No. | Name | ID | FideID | FED | Rtg | sex | Typ | Club/City | ||
| 1 | Shreya, G Hipparagi | 433552021 | 25743953 | IND | 1573 | w | F13 | MH | ||
| 2 | Siddhant, Nath Jha | 96152021 | 35062425 | IND | 1564 | Due : AICF Renewal | ||||
| 3 | Saikat, Nath | 238102021 | 46667180 | IND | 1531 | DL | ||||
| 4 | Aaditya, Salunkhe | 910712021 | 33412596 | IND | 1518 | Due : AICF Renewal | ||||
| 5 | Ritish, Chander A | 157912021 | 45000565 | IND | 1508 | TG | ||||
| 6 | Shejal, Sahil Sanjay | 892652021 | 25605755 | IND | 1498 | Due : AICF Renewal | ||||
| 7 | Muchandikar, Shrikant | 150532021 | 35059599 | IND | 1495 | MH-Pune | ||||
| 8 | Pachwadkar, Ansar | 90852021 | 46645675 | IND | 1478 | MH-Pune | ||||
| 9 | Vishal, Vala | 184632021 | 35078720 | IND | 1470 | Due : AICF Renewal | ||||
| 10 | Wadke, Suyog | 566182021 | 25967096 | IND | 1465 | U15 | MH-Pune |
Players list in Rapid Open
| No. | Name | ID | FideID | FED | Rtg | sex | Typ | Club/City | ||
| 1 | GM | Das, Sayantan | 65002021 | 5034426 | IND | 2413 | Due : AICF Renewal | |||
| 2 | GM | Roy Chowdhury, Saptarshi | 28102021 | 5002974 | IND | 2379 | Due : AICF Renewal | |||
| 3 | IM | Neelash, Saha | 64812021 | 5094160 | IND | 2328 | WB | |||
| 4 | IM | Kushagra, Mohan | 27252021 | 25033638 | IND | 2308 | TG | |||
| 5 | GM | Laxman, R.R. | 869792021 | 5005361 | IND | 2244 | ICF | |||
| 6 | IM | Ratnakaran, K. | 48672021 | 5005507 | IND | 2226 | KL | |||
| 7 | IM | Abhishek, Kelkar | 24192021 | 5019257 | IND | 2185 | MH | |||
| 8 | IM | Sahu, Sekhar Chandra | 47242021 | 5000157 | IND | 2016 | S55 | Due : AICF Renewal | ||
| 9 | Sinha, Sushil Kumar | 1830992023 | 5012015 | IND | 1953 | S55 | BR | |||
| 10 | IM | Hegde, Ravi Gopal | 302002021 | 5000254 | IND | 1940 | S55 | KA |
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The article was edited by Shahid Ahmed
About the Author
Prof. Rathinam Anantharam is an A-grade international arbiter. Member of FIDE Arbiters’ Commission, Chairman of Titles Commission in All India Chess Federation, Vice President of Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Chief Arbiter for six world championships, many Asian, International and National Championships.
