B Vignesh wins 75th Tamil Nadu State Rating Open 2025

by R Anantharam - 27/06/2025

B Vignesh and CM A Kumaresh scored an unbeaten 7.5/9 each at 75th Tamil Nadu State Rating Open 2025. Vignesh won the tournament due to better tie-break score, Kumaresh was placed second. Eight players scored 7/9 each. Out of them, Vijay Shreeram P was adjudged third. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹50000, ₹30000 and ₹25000 along with a trophy each. The five-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Sivakasi Chess Club from 1st to 5th June 2025 at P A C R Ramasamy Raja Polytechnic College in Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu. This is Vignesh's second rating tournament triumph of the year. Photo: IA R Anantharam

Vignesh's second rating tournament triumph of the year

B Vignesh of Chennai won the 75th Tamil Nadu State Open Championship, organised by Sivakasi Chess Club at PACR Polytechnic College, Rajapalayam. A Kumaresh of Virudhunagar, a silver medalist in the World Amateur Championship in Greece 2024 also scored 7.5 points, same as that of Vignesh, and was placed second, based on his tie-break score.

. B Vignesh receives the trophy and prize from P Pragadesh and M Kannan, both are joint secretaries of Tamil Nadu State Chess Association | Photo: IA R Anantharam

In addition to the cash prize and trophy, the four players who are eligible to represent Tamil Nadu in the national championship, received wristwatch as gift from the college.

Kumaresh receives a wrist watch from Giridharan, Chief Operating Officer of the Ramco Institutions | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Vijay Shreeram had a better tie-break to finish third | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Former State champion N Surendran secured the fourth place | Photo: IA R Anantharam

The four players who will represent Tamil Nadu in the National Championship | Photo: IA R Anantharam

While Vignesh drew with Barat Kalyan in the final round to collect 7.5 points, Kumaresh was the only winner among the top seven boards, defeating the recently crowned state under-17 and under-15 champion S Haridev of Chennai.

Vignesh drew with Barat Kalyan in the final round. Barat Kalyan attained the eighth rank | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Kumaresh (right) defeated the newly crowned State Under-17 and Under-15 champion S Haridev to become the runner-up | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Vijay Shreeram won the first five rounds and drew the remaining against high rated players to secure the third place

Vijay Shreeram had a draw against Ayushh Ravikumar of Chennai, propelling him to the third place. Ayushh gained the fifth place | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Surendran had a crucial draw against former State Junior champion P Maheswaran of Postal services. It helped him to gain an entry to the National Championship and Maheswaran was placed sixth.

Surendran had a crucial draw against former State Junior champion P Maheswaran of Postal services; it helped him to gain an entry to the National Championship | Photo: IA R Anantharam

The seventh place went to M Dinesh Rajan (brother of GM Pranesh) of Karaikudi.

Dinesh Rajan won against Joseph Ebenezer, a silver medalist in the Asian Amateur Championship 2024 | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Goutham Ramesh of Chennai defeated R Shadhursshaan, a former National Under 15 Schools champion from Aruppukottai to win the ninth place.

Goutham Ramesh defeated R Shadhursshaan to be placed ninth | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Former under 15 state champion B Yashwant of Madurai (white) got the tenth place by beating S V Danish | Photo: IA R Anantharam

TV Subramanian, aged 92 still has a lot of zeal to continue his chess journey by playing tournaments continuously. A former state champion from Madurai has contributed to the growth of Sivakasi Chess Club by playing weekend tournaments regularly at Sivakasi in the 60s and 70s.

TV Subramanian (left), a former Tamil Nadu champion, plays competitive chess regularly at the age of 92 | Photo: IA R Anantharam

The venue, PACR Polytechnic College, Rajapalayam is a state government aided autonomous institution founded in 1963 by a great philanthropist and former chairman of Ramco Group of Industries - Mr. P R Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha. Mr. Ramasubrahmaneya was the chairman of the Asian Junior Chess Championship Committee in 1979 at Sivakasi, the first ever official FIDE Championship to take place in India.

P R Ramasubrahmaneya Rajah, Chairman, Organising Committee, Asian Junior Chess Championship 1979, Sivakasi | Photo: IA R Anantharam

P R Venketrama Raja felicitates the then youngest grandmaster R Praggnanandhaa | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Asian Junior 1979 players and guests - Mr. P R Ramasubrahmaneya Rajah is sitting third from left. IM Manuel Aaron is sitting first. Ananatharam, the organising secretary is standing behind PRR | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Other stars sitting in the front (not in order) - GM Wong Meng Kong, GM Dibyendu Barua, GM Niaz Murshed, IM Ronny Gunawann, Eric Chea, Stephen Kerr, Davoud Pira, Grant Sidnam, A Yap, K Junjunwala. Identify who is who.

Mr. Rajah’s son Mr. P.R. Venketrama Raja, Chairman, Ramco Group of Companies is a former president of All India Chess Federation. He is popularly known for his philanthropic attitude to chess, as he is the first sponsor to five times World Champion, Vishy Anand, World no.7 GM Praggnannandhaa R and his sister GM Vaishali R. Besides, Mr. PRV has spent several crores of rupees for the growth of chess in India.

PACR Polytechnic College has been supporting chess for several years by helping to organise many chess tournaments in the campus. Its sister institution Ramco Institute of Technology has also organised many rating tournaments and state championships.

GM Deepan Chakkravarthy won the TN State championship 2004 at PACR Polytechnic. R Vijayanan, the then secretary of Sivakasi Chess Club, Mr. P R Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, Mr. A Gopalsamy, President of Virudhunagar District Chess Association and R Anantharam | Photo: IA R Anantharam

Chess 960 State championship at PACR Polytechnic in 2014 was won by IA Ganesh Babu S. He is seen with FA Dhakshinamoorthy and IA Vijayaraghavan V | Photo: IA R Anantharam

A total of 212 players took part from various districts of Tamil Nadu. The five-day nine round Rating Open tournament was organized by Sivakasi Chess Club from 1st to 5th June 2025 at P A C R Ramasamy Raja Polytechnic College in Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu. The time control of the event was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.

Final standings

Rk.	SNo		Name	Typ	Gr	FED	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB5
1	1	AGM	Vignesh, B		9624CGL2025	IND	2201	Chengalpattu	7,5	51,5	57	46,50	6
2	8	CM	Kumaresh, A		9334VNR2025	IND	2119	Virudhunagar	7,5	46,5	51	42,25	6
3	9		Vijay, Shreeram P		2888CHE2025	IND	2112	Chennai	7	51	54,5	40,25	5
4	4		Surendran, N		8320TLR2025	IND	2145	Tiruvallur	7	50	54	40,75	5
5	14	FM	Ayushh, Ravikumar		2397CHE2025	IND	2020	Chennai	7	49	53	40,75	5
6	15	FM	Maheswaran, P.		9269VNR2025	IND	2010	Virudhunagar	7	49	52,5	39,75	5
7	6	CM	Dinesh, Rajan M		6865SIV2025	IND	2133	Sivagangai	7	48	52	39,00	5
8	5	CM	Barath, Kalyan M		8034TNJ2025	IND	2138	Thanjavur	7	47,5	52,5	40,25	5
9	30		Goutham, Ramesh	U14	2399CHE2025	IND	1904	Chennai	7	46,5	50	36,50	7
10	13		Yashwant, B		5556MDU2025	IND	2022	Madurai	7	45	49,5	38,50	6
11	11		Vignesh, Kannan P		6862SIV2025	IND	2053	Sivagangai	6,5	51,5	55	37,00	6
12	20		Jack, Samuel		4349DGL2025	IND	1993	Dindigul	6,5	50	54	36,75	6
13	7	FM	Aakash, G		3873CBE2025	IND	2123	Coimbatore	6,5	49	52,5	35,75	5
14	3		Haridev, S		3718CHE2025	IND	2147	Chennai	6,5	48,5	53	36,00	5
15	28		Saisarvesh, S		2336TLR2025	IND	1917	Tiruvallur	6,5	48	53	37,00	4
16	12	AIM	Arul, Prakash N		5543MDU2025	IND	2032	Madurai	6,5	48	51,5	35,00	5
17	22	AGM	Rutherford, S		1322KKI2025	IND	1957	Kanyakumari	6,5	46,5	50,5	35,25	5
18	25		Ram, Alagappan S		1611CGL2025	IND	1934	Chengalpattu	6,5	46,5	50	34,25	6
19	2	FM	Prasannaa,		11203TLR2025	IND	2196	Tiruvallur	6,5	46	50,5	34,50	6
20	75		Srinivasan, Vijayaraghavan		9615CGL2025	IND	1674	Chengalpattu	6,5	41	44	28,25	6

Details

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. Nominated as one of the top seven arbiters in the world for the past hundred years by FIDE.

The report was edited by Shahid Ahmed