The Giant Killer: Amanlal A Takes Down Cuban IM Jorge Marcos
The headline story unfolded on Board 2 in Round 4, where 12-year-old Amanlal A (1894) stunned Cuban International Master Jorge Marcos Gomez Sanchez.
Amanlal's journey began at age 4.5 in Cheriyakolla, a village in Thiruvananthapuram. Now based in Kuzhivelippady, Ernakulam, the Class 8 student of St. Joseph Public School (NAD, Aluva) produced a masterclass to score the full point against the Cuban IM.
Check out the amazing game
The Idea and Execution
The Idea behind this tournament was very easy to explain. The CEO of Premier Chess Academy saw a gap where local talents in Kerala are lacking funds to play overseas and get their FIDE rating or increase their rating. He came up with a solution, and it is now clearly visible that it is working. Local players like Amanlal are scoring points and big wins against professional and titled players.
Out of 7 players who are on 4/4. There are 4 players from Kerala itself, which shows that this initiative is helping the local talent. The other 3 players who are on 4/4 are GM Petr Kiriakov, IM Sekhar Chandra Sahu and IM Murugan Krishnamoorthy
"Historically, Kerala has had a shortage of active players rated over 2000 in classical chess because young talents cannot afford constant international trips. By bringing titled foreign players to our home soil for free-entry events, we remove financial barriers and give talents like Amanlal the platform they deserve." — Renjith Balakrishnan, CEO of Premier Chess Academy
Pairings round 5
Bo. |
| White | Typ | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Black | Typ | Rtg | Club/City |
| ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IM | S56 | 1963 | Orissa | 4 | 4 | GM | 2432 | Fide | ||||||
2 | U17 | 1958 | Kerala | 4 | 4 | IM | S56 | 2096 | Tamil Nadu | ||||||
3 | U17 | 1783 | Kerala | 4 | 4 | U15 | 2015 | Kerala | |||||||
4 | AIM | 1975 | Srilanka | 3½ | 4 | U15 | 1894 | Kerala | |||||||
5 | U12 | 1680 | Kerala | 3½ | 3½ | U12 | 1841 | Kerala | |||||||
6 | U15 | 1570 | Kerala | 3½ | 3½ | U12 | 1682 | Kerala | |||||||
7 | IM | 2244 | Cuba | 3 | 3½ | U15 | 1550 | Kerala | |||||||
8 | IM | S56 | 2076 | Maharashtra | 3 | 3 | 1697 | Nepal | |||||||
9 | U12 | 1692 | Kerala | 3 | 3 | U17 | 1964 | Kerala | |||||||
10 | AFM | U15 | 1679 | Kerala | 3 | 3 | CM | 1923 | Nepal |
Rank after Round 4
Rk. | SNo |
| Name | Typ | sex | Gr | FED | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | TB6 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 5 | U15 | 2026EKM001379 | 2015 | Kerala | 4 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |||||
2 | 13 | U15 | 2026EKM000241 | 1894 | Kerala | 4 | 10,5 | 10,5 | 10,5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |||||
3 | 3 | IM | S56 | 2096 | Tamil Nadu | 4 | 10,5 | 10,5 | 10,5 | 0 | 4 | 1 | |||||
4 | 8 | IM | S56 | 1963 | Orissa | 4 | 9,5 | 9,5 | 9,5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |||||
5 | 9 | U17 | 2026TVM000473 | 1958 | Kerala | 4 | 8,5 | 8,5 | 8,5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | |||||
6 | 21 | U17 | w | 2026KLM000127 | 1783 | Kerala | 4 | 8,5 | 8,5 | 8,5 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||||
7 | 1 | GM | 2432 | Fide | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 4 | 2 | ||||||
8 | 44 | U15 | 2026TVM000097 | 1570 | Kerala | 3,5 | 9,5 | 9,5 | 8,25 | 0 | 3 | 2 | |||||
9 | 6 | AIM | 1975 | Srilanka | 3,5 | 9,5 | 9,5 | 7,75 | 0 | 3 | 2 | ||||||
10 | 33 | U12 | w | 2026TVM000165 | 1680 | Kerala | 3,5 | 9 | 9 | 7,75 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
Important Links
Premier Chess Academy: Instagram, YouTube, Website, Last Event
