Dhanush Raghav N S dominates Khannur Group of Institutions 2nd Khannur Rating Open 2025
Dhanush Ragav N S scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to win Khannur Group of Institutions 2nd Khannur Rating Open 2025. He finished a full point ahead of the competition. Four players - IM Aaryan Varshney, Nigash G, Jagajit Sinha and GM Laxman R R scored 7.5/9 each. They secured second to fifth place respectively according to tie-breaks. Dhanush defeated the top seed of the event and eventual runner-up, Aaryan in the penultimate round. The total prize fund was ₹500001. The top three prizes were ₹50001, ₹35000 and ₹20000 along with trophy each. The five-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Panchajanya Chess Academy and Khannur Group of Institutions at Koundinya Convention Hall in Bengaluru, Karnataka from 30th October to 3rd November 2025. This is Dhanush's third rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Praveena N / Panchajanya Chess Academy and Khannur Group of Institutions
Dhanush's third rating tournament triumph of the year
Dhanush Ragav N S made a perfect start by winning eight games in-a-row. He had a full point lead going into the last round. GM Laxman R R and Jagajit Sinha were the only two players trailing at 7/8 each. Jagajit drew against Dhanush and the latter became champion, the former fourth. The top seed of the event, IM Aaryan Varshney defeated Prasanna Karthick M to secure second place. Nigash G won against Ebin Benny to finish third.
At just 23, Anuraag Khannur has turned a youthful dream into meaningful impact. While completing his final year of MBBS, he has emerged as one of Karnataka’s most trusted chess tournament organizers. Through Khannur Sports Academy, Anuraag has conducted 35+ tournaments, creating opportunities for over 1000 players to compete, grow, and believe in their potential. One of his proudest achievements was organizing the Karnataka State Open Chess Championship, which served as a selection event for the National Championship.
Sahana Kulkarni, invited as the Honourable Chief Guest and a sponsor, elevated the event with her presence. A dynamic serial entrepreneur and the COO of CHESS KLUB, she leads the academy empowering children globally. CHESS KLUB is recognized among the Top 100 Franchise Investment Opportunities in India. She was recently honoured as Brainpreneur of the Year at the Successpreneur Awards, supported by the Government of Telangana.
Paramount Chess enriched the event by sponsoring first place prizes across all age categories, offering – 17" vinyl tournament chess sets and 10" wooden laminated chess sets.
Thanks to Praveena N for sharing photographs and information about the tournament.
A total of 372 players including a GM and two IMs took part from various parts of India and four from the USA. The five-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Panchajanya Chess Academy and Khannur Group of Institutions at Koundinya Convention Hall in Bengaluru, Karnataka from 30th October to 3rd November 2025. The time control of the event was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment per move.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | Typ | sex | FED | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | TB6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 5 | Dhanush, Ragav N S | IND | 2065 | TN | 8,5 | 51 | 55 | 51,25 | 0 | 8 | 4 | |||
| 2 | 1 | IM | Aaryan, Varshney | IND | 2496 | DL | 7,5 | 52,5 | 55 | 43 | 0 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 3 | 6 | Nigash, G | IND | 2060 | TN | 7,5 | 50,5 | 55 | 44,75 | 0 | 7 | 3 | |||
| 4 | 13 | Jagajit, Sinha | U13 | IND | 1924 | AS | 7,5 | 50 | 53,5 | 43,25 | 0 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 5 | 2 | GM | Laxman, R.R. | IND | 2276 | ICF | 7,5 | 49 | 53 | 41 | 0 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 6 | 10 | AIM | Jayanth, Venkatesh | U13 | IND | 1939 | TN | 7 | 53 | 57,5 | 41,75 | 0 | 6 | 3 | |
| 7 | 17 | Ayaan, Phutane | U09 | IND | 1912 | KA-BNG | 7 | 52 | 57,5 | 42,5 | 0 | 7 | 4 | ||
| 8 | 3 | CM | Sudarshan, Bhat | IND | 2215 | KA-BNG | 7 | 50,5 | 56 | 42,5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 90 | Shreyansh, Das | U09 | IND | 1720 | KA-BNG | 7 | 46,5 | 49,5 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 10 | 35 | Rejath, Renjith | U16 | IND | 1837 | KL | 7 | 45,5 | 50 | 37,75 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 11 | 7 | FM | Dutta, Joydeep | IND | 2038 | WB | 7 | 45,5 | 50 | 37,5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 12 | 23 | Mohammed, Tharig S | IND | 1881 | TN | 7 | 45 | 49,5 | 37,75 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |||
| 13 | 203 | AFM | Kamesh, Kavin | U11 | USA | 1488 | USA | 7 | 44,5 | 48 | 35,5 | 0 | 7 | 4 | |
| 14 | 32 | Aneesh, Adiga | U16 | IND | 1847 | KA-BNG | 7 | 44 | 48,5 | 37,25 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 11 | Abhinav, Anand | U11 | IND | 1939 | KA-BNG | 7 | 44 | 46,5 | 35 | 0 | 5 | 2 | ||
| 16 | 27 | Siva, Adithyan S | U16 | IND | 1861 | TN | 7 | 43,5 | 46,5 | 35,5 | 0 | 7 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 18 | Ebin, Benny | IND | 1900 | KL | 6,5 | 50 | 54 | 36 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |||
| 18 | 24 | Prasanna, Karthick M | U16 | IND | 1865 | TN | 6,5 | 49 | 53,5 | 37 | 0 | 6 | 2 | ||
| 19 | 30 | Anirudh, R | IND | 1854 | TN | 6,5 | 49 | 53 | 36,25 | 0 | 5 | 2 | |||
| 20 | 33 | Pranav, Ganesh Prabhu | U13 | IND | 1847 | TN | 6,5 | 47,5 | 52 | 36,5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 21 | 16 | WCM | Rajanya, Datta | S17 | w | IND | 1915 | WB | 6,5 | 47,5 | 50,5 | 35,5 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 22 | 12 | Adharva, P T | U16 | IND | 1924 | TN | 6,5 | 47 | 51 | 36 | 0 | 4 | 1 | ||
| 23 | 58 | Siddhi, Rao | F13 | w | IND | 1774 | KA-BNG | 6,5 | 47 | 51 | 33,75 | 0 | 6 | 2 | |
| 24 | 77 | Ishaan, Bhansali | U11 | IND | 1741 | KA-BNG | 6,5 | 46,5 | 51 | 34,5 | 0 | 6 | 3 | ||
| 25 | 44 | Nikhil, T L | U16 | IND | 1809 | TN | 6,5 | 46 | 49 | 33,25 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
