Abhimanyu Puranik convincingly clinches 10th Chessable Sunway Sitges Open 2023
GM Abhimanyu Puranik defeated GM Sethuraman S P in the final round to win X Chessable Sunway Sitges Open 2023. The win ensured Abhimanyu finishing a half point ahead of the field which means no Playoffs were necessary for him. The second to eighth position were determined by Playoffs. GM Aravindh Chithambaram scored 8/10 to be placed fourth. Sethuraman and GM Iniyan P scored 7.5/10 to secure sixth and seventh place according to tie-breaks. GM Raja Rithvik R scored 7.5/10 finish tenth. He ensured Indians get five places out of top ten. This tournament triumph and a second place finish at 4th Elllobregat Open 2023, put Abhimanyu among World Top 100. Thus, India currently has the highest number of players among World Top 100 - 11. Photo: Sunway Sitges International Chess Festival
Indians claim five out of top ten
Apart from Abhimanyu Puranik's triumph in Open A, there were several side events like Blitz, Rapid, Chess960 where Indian players claimed mutliple podium finishes. The top three prizes in the Open A were - €5000, €3000 and €1500 along with a trophy each.
Abhimanyu - Sethuraman, Round 10
GM Abhimanyu Puranik (2627) decided to return the exchange 31.Qe3! attacking both bishops. Black's best course of action was to play 31...f4 saving both bishops tactically. Instead, he went 31...fxe4 32.Qxg3 White successfully managed to turn things in his favor and he won the game in another ten moves.
Bullet: Pranesh second
GM Pranesh M scored 10.5/12 to finish second in the Bullet event. The time control was 1 min + 1 second increment.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | GM | Golubka, Petro | UKR | 2402 | 8 | 42 | 45,5 | 40,00 | |
| 2 | 4 | Sham, R | IND | 1988 | 8 | 41,5 | 45 | 37,50 | ||
| 3 | 1 | IM | Fernandez Guillen, Ernesto J. | CUB | 2481 | 6,5 | 43 | 46,5 | 30,50 | |
| 4 | 7 | Fellowes, Billy | ENG | 1854 | 5 | 41,5 | 42 | 14,50 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Murphy, Dara | IRL | 1907 | 5 | 34 | 34,5 | 16,00 | ||
| 6 | 5 | Bjorkman, Filip | SWE | 1987 | 5 | 30 | 30,5 | 13,75 | ||
| 7 | 3 | Burrows, Martin P | ENG | 2083 | 4,5 | 46 | 49,5 | 21,25 | ||
| 8 | 11 | Ferzli, Michael | LBN | 1723 | 4,5 | 43,5 | 47 | 20,25 | ||
| 9 | 12 | Banerjee, Aryan | SWE | 1668 | 4,5 | 42 | 42,5 | 16,00 | ||
| 10 | 10 | Carey, Michael | USA | 1788 | 4,5 | 41 | 42,5 | 17,50 |
Pranesh wins Blitz 13/12
GM Pranesh M scored an unbeaten 8/9 to win the Blitz Open on 13th December 2023. The time control was 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | GM | Pranesh, M | IND | 2481 | 8 | 49 | 53 | 47,00 | |
| 2 | 15 | FM | Begmuratov, Khumoyun | UZB | 2276 | 8 | 48,5 | 50,5 | 43,00 | |
| 3 | 6 | GM | Golubka, Petro | UKR | 2437 | 7,5 | 50,5 | 54,5 | 43,50 | |
| 4 | 8 | GM | Iniyan, Pa | IND | 2420 | 7 | 53 | 58 | 42,00 | |
| 5 | 24 | FM | Krishnan, Ritvik | IND | 2193 | 6,5 | 51 | 53,5 | 35,25 | |
| 6 | 45 | Sham, R | IND | 1880 | 6,5 | 47,5 | 52 | 33,75 | ||
| 7 | 60 | Saydaliev, Akobirkhon | UZB | 1679 | 6,5 | 45,5 | 49,5 | 33,25 | ||
| 8 | 7 | IM | Fernandez Guillen, Ernesto J. | CUB | 2436 | 6,5 | 45 | 48,5 | 31,75 | |
| 9 | 16 | Aakash Sharadchandra, Dalvi | IND | 2267 | 6,5 | 38 | 41 | 26,75 | ||
| 10 | 5 | FM | Suyarov, Mukhammadzokhid | UZB | 2449 | 6 | 48 | 52 | 30,50 |
Rapid: Sham second
Sham R scored 8/9, same as GM Petro Golubka (UKR). Petro won the Rapid event on tie-breaks, Sham secured second place. The tournament was held from 14th to 16th December. The time control of the event was 15 minutes + 10 seconds increment.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | GM | Golubka, Petro | UKR | 2402 | 8 | 42 | 45,5 | 40,00 | |
| 2 | 4 | Sham, R | IND | 1988 | 8 | 41,5 | 45 | 37,50 | ||
| 3 | 1 | IM | Fernandez Guillen, Ernesto J. | CUB | 2481 | 6,5 | 43 | 46,5 | 30,50 | |
| 4 | 7 | Fellowes, Billy | ENG | 1854 | 5 | 41,5 | 42 | 14,50 | ||
| 5 | 6 | Murphy, Dara | IRL | 1907 | 5 | 34 | 34,5 | 16,00 | ||
| 6 | 5 | Bjorkman, Filip | SWE | 1987 | 5 | 30 | 30,5 | 13,75 | ||
| 7 | 3 | Burrows, Martin P | ENG | 2083 | 4,5 | 46 | 49,5 | 21,25 | ||
| 8 | 11 | Ferzli, Michael | LBN | 1723 | 4,5 | 43,5 | 47 | 20,25 | ||
| 9 | 12 | Banerjee, Aryan | SWE | 1668 | 4,5 | 42 | 42,5 | 16,00 | ||
| 10 | 10 | Carey, Michael | USA | 1788 | 4,5 | 41 | 42,5 | 17,50 |
Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy clinches Junior Blitz, Sahithi Varshini third
Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy scored 6/7 to win the Junior Blitz event on 17th December 2023. IM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus (TUR), FM Sahithi Varshini M and FM Anthony Atanasov (CAN) scored 5/7 each. They were placed second, third and fourth respectively according to tie-breaks. The time control was 5 minutes + 3 seconds increment.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | Ajay, Santhosh Parvathareddy | IND | 2218 | 6 | 25 | 27 | 22,50 | ||
| 2 | 2 | IM | Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan | TUR | 2359 | 5 | 27 | 29 | 18,50 | |
| 3 | 6 | FM | Sahithi, Varshini M | IND | 2189 | 5 | 25 | 27,5 | 17,50 | |
| 4 | 3 | FM | Atanasov, Anthony | CAN | 2355 | 5 | 24,5 | 28 | 19,50 | |
| 5 | 7 | FM | Ahmad, Khagan | AZE | 2180 | 4,5 | 28,5 | 32 | 19,75 | |
| 6 | 5 | FM | Krishnan, Ritvik | IND | 2193 | 4,5 | 28 | 31 | 17,75 | |
| 7 | 14 | Saydaliev, Akobirkhon | UZB | 1679 | 4 | 27,5 | 29,5 | 14,00 | ||
| 8 | 18 | Kalyani, Sirin | IND | 1604 | 4 | 23 | 23 | 8,50 | ||
| 9 | 21 | Abel, Sajan | IND | 1544 | 4 | 21,5 | 24 | 12,00 | ||
| 10 | 12 | Aarav, Sinha | IND | 1788 | 4 | 16,5 | 16,5 | 7,50 |
Blitz 17/12: Bharath Subramaniyam H third
IM James Morris (AUS) won the Blitz event on 17th December 2023. IM Almas Rakhmatullaev (UZB), GM Bharath Subramaniyam H and IM Mukhiddin Madaminov (UZB) scored 7.5/9 each. They were placed second to fourth respectively according to tie-breaks. The time control was 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | IM | Morris, James | AUS | 2427 | 8 | 47,5 | 52 | 46,00 | |
| 2 | 40 | IM | Rakhmatullaev, Almas | UZB | 2218 | 7,5 | 50,5 | 53,5 | 39,75 | |
| 3 | 13 | GM | Bharath, Subramaniyam H | IND | 2435 | 7,5 | 49 | 52 | 40,75 | |
| 4 | 8 | IM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | UZB | 2460 | 7,5 | 47,5 | 52 | 43,75 | |
| 5 | 10 | FM | Suyarov, Mukhammadzokhid | UZB | 2449 | 7 | 49 | 53,5 | 38,00 | |
| 6 | 2 | GM | Ibarra Jerez, Jose Carlos | ESP | 2634 | 7 | 47 | 50 | 37,00 | |
| 7 | 1 | GM | Dominguez Perez, Leinier | USA | 2654 | 7 | 46,5 | 50,5 | 37,00 | |
| 8 | 7 | GM | Velten, Paul | FRA | 2471 | 7 | 44 | 47 | 35,00 | |
| 9 | 18 | IM | Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan | TUR | 2359 | 7 | 43 | 45 | 32,50 | |
| 10 | 42 | IM | Abdurakhmonov, Mukhammadali | UZB | 2214 | 6,5 | 51 | 55 | 38,75 |
Fischer Random: Ritvik Krishnan second, Sham third
IM Ernesto J Fernandez Guillen (CUB) won the Fischer Random tournament on 18th December 2023 with a perfect 9/9. He finished a whopping two full points ahead of the rest. FM Ritvik Krishan and Sham R scored 7/9 each. They secured second and third place each respectively. The time control was 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | IM | Fernandez Guillen, Ernesto J. | CUB | 2436 | 9 | 40,5 | 44 | 47,00 | |
| 2 | 3 | FM | Krishnan, Ritvik | IND | 2193 | 7 | 41,5 | 43 | 30,00 | |
| 3 | 7 | Sham, R | IND | 1880 | 7 | 40,5 | 42 | 31,00 | ||
| 4 | 4 | FM | Lopez Del Alamo, Antonio | ESP | 2158 | 6 | 45 | 47,5 | 26,50 | |
| 5 | 2 | GM | Arkell, Keith C | ENG | 2340 | 5 | 45,5 | 49 | 24,50 | |
| 6 | 8 | Goh, Jinghan Cameron | SGP | 1797 | 5 | 40,5 | 42 | 16,00 | ||
| 7 | 9 | Labrovic, Jakov | CRO | 1790 | 5 | 33 | 34,5 | 15,50 | ||
| 8 | 6 | Bryant, Harry | ENG | 1883 | 4 | 41 | 42,5 | 15,50 | ||
| 9 | 5 | Patel, Zain | ENG | 1896 | 4 | 41 | 42,5 | 7,00 | ||
| 10 | 10 | Izagirre Alsua, Aritz | ESP | 1709 | 4 | 35,5 | 37 | 11,50 |
Blitz 19/12: Iniyan second, Bharath third
FM Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov (UZB) scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 to win the Blitz event on 19th December 2023. GM Iniyan P, GM Bharath Subramaniyam H, IM Almas Rakhmatullaev (UZB) and Mandar Pradip Lad scored 7/9 each. They were placed second to fifth respectively as per tie-breaks. The time control of the event was 3 minutes + 2 seconds increment.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 3 | FM | Suyarov, Mukhammadzokhid | UZB | 2449 | 7,5 | 48 | 52 | 42,50 | |
| 2 | 7 | GM | Iniyan, Pa | IND | 2420 | 7 | 51 | 55,5 | 41,75 | |
| 3 | 5 | GM | Bharath, Subramaniyam H | IND | 2435 | 7 | 49,5 | 53 | 39,00 | |
| 4 | 15 | IM | Rakhmatullaev, Almas | UZB | 2218 | 7 | 44,5 | 47 | 33,00 | |
| 5 | 42 | Lad, Mandar Pradip | IND | 1730 | 7 | 42 | 42,5 | 33,50 | ||
| 6 | 11 | IM | Prraneeth, Vuppala | IND | 2276 | 6 | 47,5 | 50 | 27,75 | |
| 7 | 6 | IM | Morris, James | AUS | 2427 | 6 | 47 | 51,5 | 32,50 | |
| 8 | 2 | IM | Madaminov, Mukhiddin | UZB | 2460 | 6 | 47 | 50,5 | 30,25 | |
| 9 | 10 | FM | Fiorito, Francisco | ARG | 2318 | 6 | 46 | 49 | 27,50 | |
| 10 | 1 | GM | Velten, Paul | FRA | 2471 | 6 | 45,5 | 49,5 | 30,00 |
A total of 327 players including 36 GMs, 45 IMs, 7 WGMs and 9 WIMs took part from 49 countries across the world in Group A. The tournaments were organized by Club d'Escacs Sunway Sitges and Penya d'Escacs Casino Prado Suburense from 12th to 22nd December 2023 at Hotel Sunway Playa Golf & Spa, Sitges, Barcelona in Spain. The time control of the Group A tournament was 90 min/40 moves + 30 min/rest + 30 sec. incr. per move starting move no. 1.
Round 10 results
| Bo. | No. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Name | Rtg | No. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | GM | Murzin, Volodar | 2627 | 7½ | ½ - ½ | 7½ | GM | Aravindh, Chithambaram Vr. | 2646 | 3 | ||
| 2 | 6 | GM | Puranik, Abhimanyu | 2627 | 7½ | 1 - 0 | 7½ | GM | Sethuraman, S.P. | 2582 | 11 | ||
| 3 | 65 | IM | Krishna, C R G | 2396 | 7 | 0 - 1 | 7 | GM | Jacobson, Brandon | 2538 | 17 | ||
| 4 | 19 | GM | Vignesh, N R | 2529 | 7 | ½ - ½ | 7 | GM | Raja, Rithvik R | 2500 | 31 | ||
| 5 | 35 | IM | Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan | 2496 | 7 | ½ - ½ | 7 | GM | Bharath, Subramaniyam H | 2504 | 28 | ||
| 6 | 29 | GM | Vetoshko, Volodymyr | 2503 | 7 | 0 - 1 | 7 | IM | Fernandez Guillen, Ernesto J. | 2462 | 42 | ||
| 7 | 39 | IM | Tiglon, Bryce | 2485 | 7 | ½ - ½ | 6½ | GM | Visakh, N R | 2546 | 16 | ||
| 8 | 41 | FM | Makkar, Rajat | 2465 | 6½ | 1 - 0 | 6½ | GM | Gorshtein, Ido | 2523 | 20 | ||
| 9 | 21 | GM | Pranesh, M | 2523 | 6½ | 1 - 0 | 6½ | FM | Bazakutsa, Svyatoslav | 2457 | 44 | ||
| 10 | 52 | IM | Bilych, Olexiy | 2433 | 6½ | 0 - 1 | 6½ | GM | Sankalp, Gupta | 2523 | 22 |
Final standings minus Play-off
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | RtgN | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | GM | Puranik, Abhimanyu | IND | 2627 | 0 | 8,5 | 58 | 62,5 | 52,00 | |||
| 2 | 17 | GM | Jacobson, Brandon | USA | 2538 | 0 | 8 | 63 | 67,5 | 53,00 | |||
| 3 | 3 | GM | Aravindh, Chithambaram Vr. | IND | 2646 | 0 | Chess Gurukul | 8 | 62,5 | 67,5 | 53,00 | ||
| 4 | 5 | GM | Murzin, Volodar | FID | 2627 | 0 | 8 | 61,5 | 66,5 | 53,00 | |||
| 5 | 42 | IM | Fernandez Guillen, Ernesto J. | CUB | 2462 | 2477 | 8 | 57 | 61,5 | 46,50 | |||
| 6 | 11 | GM | Sethuraman, S.P. | IND | 2582 | 0 | 7,5 | 64 | 69 | 49,00 | |||
| 7 | 30 | GM | Iniyan, Pa | IND | 2500 | 0 | 7,5 | 61,5 | 65,5 | 45,25 | |||
| 8 | 39 | IM | Tiglon, Bryce | USA | 2485 | 0 | 7,5 | 61 | 64 | 46,25 | |||
| 9 | 35 | IM | Erdogmus, Yagiz Kaan | TUR | 2496 | 0 | 7,5 | 60,5 | 66 | 48,50 | |||
| 10 | 31 | GM | Raja, Rithvik R | IND | 2500 | 0 | 7,5 | 58 | 62 | 45,50 | |||
| 11 | 21 | GM | Pranesh, M | IND | 2523 | 0 | Chess Gurukul | 7,5 | 57,5 | 62,5 | 45,00 | ||
| 12 | 33 | GM | Abdisalimov, Abdimalik | UZB | 2496 | 0 | 7,5 | 57 | 61 | 41,75 | |||
| 13 | 19 | GM | Vignesh, N R | IND | 2529 | 0 | 7,5 | 56 | 60 | 43,50 | |||
| 14 | 22 | GM | Sankalp, Gupta | IND | 2523 | 0 | 7,5 | 54,5 | 58,5 | 43,75 | |||
| 15 | 28 | GM | Bharath, Subramaniyam H | IND | 2504 | 0 | Chess Gurukul | 7,5 | 53,5 | 58 | 42,25 |
Prizes
Total Prize fund - €30050. For the entire prize details, click here.