The first edition of the MEPCO Sports Academy International FIDE-rated Open Chess Tournament was held in Tamil Nadu, bringing together titled players, experienced competitors, and a large number of young chess players. With nine rounds on the schedule, several players fought at the top of the standings throughout the event. By the time the final round arrived, GM Shyaam Nikhil P was in the best position to take the title, while several players were still in contention for the remaining top places.
When the final game ended, Shyaam Nikhil stood alone at the top with 8.5/9. With seven wins in a row to start the tournament, GM Shyaam Nikhil P, the top seed of the tournament, made a strong start to the event.
The Grandmaster won his first seven games consecutively, taking his score to a perfect 7/7. One of those victories came against Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar, who was also among the leaders after a strong start. The eighth round brought a meeting between the top two seeds, GM Shyaam Nikhil P and Vignesh Kannan P.
Shyaam Nikhil won that game and moved to 8/8, entering the final round with a full point advantage over the players immediately behind him. In the ninth and final round, Shyaam Nikhil drew his game against FM Jai Sankar Subramanian. That half point was enough. The Grandmaster completed the tournament with 8.5/9, finishing clear first and taking the MEPCO Sports Academy title.
The race for second place
While Shyaam Nikhil had secured first place, the fight for the remaining podium positions was far from settled. Three players finished on 8/9 - Vignesh Kannan P, Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar and CM Sarveshwaran V. Vignesh Kannan had an exceptional beginning to the tournament, winning his first six games. His seventh-round encounter was against GM Shyaam Nikhil P. After that game, Vignesh finished strongly by winning his eighth and ninth-round games. He ended on 8/9 and took second place.
Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar also began with seven consecutive victories. That put him among the main contenders going into the later stages of the tournament. His eighth-round game against GM Shyaam Nikhil P ended in a loss, but Nishant finished with a victory in the ninth round and scored 8/9. He secured third place.
Three players on 8/9
The final standings had an interesting feature at the top. While the champion finished half a point ahead of the field, three players were tied on 8/9. Vignesh Kannan P finished second, Nishant Abhijeet Jawalkar third and CM Sarveshwaran V fourth. This meant that every half point mattered in the final classification. A seven-player group on 7.5/9. The competition continued to be close further down the leaderboard.
A group of players finished on 7.5/9, including IM Jorge Marcos Gomez Sanchez, CM Gokul G, FM Jai Sankar Subramanian, AGM Sa Kannan, Rohith P and FM Raghav V. With several players separated only by tie-break criteria, the final standings remained competitive right up to the end. IM Jorge Marcos Gomez Sanchez finished fifth, followed by CM Gokul G and FM Jai Sankar Subramanian. AGM Sa Kannan, Rohith P and FM Raghav V also finished on 7.5/9.
Final round: the top ten boards
The final round provided the closing chapter to a tournament that had seen several players competing at the top. The first ten boards brought together many of the leading players, with the final results deciding the eventual positions in the standings.
GM Vishnu Prasanna attends the prize distribution
The tournament concluded with the prize distribution in the presence of GM Vishnu Prasanna, coach of World Champion Gukesh. ₹2 lakh prize fund and special age-category prizes. The tournament offered a total prize fund of ₹2,00,000, along with 56 cash prizes and 51 trophies.
Special prizes were awarded in the Under-8, Under-12, and Under-15 boys and girls categories, providing young participants with additional opportunities to compete for prizes. Free lunch was also provided for all participants during the tournament.
A tournament bringing together experienced players and youngsters
One of the notable aspects of the event was the mix of players in the field.
Titled players competed alongside a large number of young participants, creating opportunities for the next generation of players to face stronger and more experienced opposition.
For the young players, the event offered valuable competitive experience, while the presence of titled players added strength to the top boards.
There was an interesting contrast at the MEPCO Sports Academy 1st International FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament. The venue is located near Sivakasi, Tamil Nadu, widely known as the centre of India’s fireworks industry. Government of India records state that around 90% of the country’s fireworks are manufactured in and around Sivakasi.
But on this particular day, there were no fireworks in the sky. Instead, the action unfolded across 64 squares, as players battled through nine rounds of rapid chess in a single day.
MEPCO Schlenk Engineering College, established in 1984, is one of the prominent engineering institutions in Tamil Nadu. The college has consistently featured among India’s ranked engineering institutions in the NIRF rankings, and was placed in the 101 -150 rank band in 2023 and 2024. Its Sivakasi campus, known for its engineering-focused academic environment, provided the venue for this one-day rapid chess tournament, bringing together 400 players for nine rounds of chess.
Final Ranking after 9 Rounds
Rk. | Name | FED | RtgI | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | TB6 | n | w | we | w-we | K | rtg+/- |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | IND | 2333 | ICF | 8,5 | 54,5 | 58,5 | 0 | 54,75 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 8,5 | 8,11 | 0,39 | 10 | 3,9 | |
2 | IND | 2056 | TN | 8 | 54 | 58 | 0 | 49,5 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 8 | 6,47 | 1,53 | 40 | 61,2 | |
3 | IND | 1983 | MH | 8 | 50 | 54 | 0 | 45,5 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 5,33 | 1,67 | 40 | 66,8 | |
4 | IND | 2120 | TN | 8 | 49 | 53 | 0 | 47,5 | 8 | 5 | 9 | 8 | 7,49 | 0,51 | 20 | 10,2 | |
5 | CUB | 2286 | Cuba | 7,5 | 53 | 57,5 | 0 | 46,25 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 7,5 | 7,93 | -0,43 | 20 | -8,6 | |
6 | IND | 1958 | TN | 7,5 | 53 | 56 | 0 | 44,25 | 7 | 2 | 8 | 6,5 | 6,01 | 0,49 | 40 | 19,6 | |
7 | IND | 1979 | TN - V | 7,5 | 51 | 52 | 0 | 40,75 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 6,5 | 6,09 | 0,41 | 20 | 8,2 | |
8 | IND | 1944 | TN - V | 7,5 | 49 | 53 | 0 | 42,5 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 6,5 | 6,69 | -0,19 | 20 | -3,8 | |
9 | IND | 1897 | TN - V | 7,5 | 48,5 | 52,5 | 0 | 41,75 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 6,5 | 5,57 | 0,93 | 40 | 37,2 | |
10 | IND | 2037 | TN | 7,5 | 48 | 53 | 0 | 42,25 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 7,5 | 7,18 | 0,32 | 40 | 12,8 |
About the Author
IA Jeyam Subbaiah C is one of the youngest International Arbiters and a Fair Play Executive from Tamil Nadu. Deeply passionate about chess and its regulations, he actively conducts training sessions and workshops on the Laws of Chess. He has delivered revision classes for FIDE Arbiter and Senior National Arbiter examinations at various locations across India, including Ahmedabad, Jamshedpur and Pune. Most recently, he conducted revision sessions at the FIDE Arbiter Seminar held in Greater Noida from 11 to 13 September 2026.
Jeyam has also performed strongly in his own officiating journey, securing 3rd rank in the International Arbiter Seminar and Examination, 4th rank in the FIDE Arbiter Examination, and joint 1st rank in the Senior National Arbiter Examination. The chief arbiter is currently pursuing a second-year MBA in Artificial Intelligence and Business Analytics at the National Forensic Science University, Ahmedabad.
This report is edited by Devansh Singh
