Tharig S triumphs at Velammal Hospital 3rd Athens of the East Below 1700 Rating Tournament 2023

by R Anantharam - 08/01/2024

Mohammed Tharig S, Manikanda Prabhu B V, Shejal Sahil Sanjay, Prajwal Avhad and Rahul K scored 8/9 at Velammal Hospital presents 3rd Athens of the East GM Category B Below 1700 Rating Tournament 2023. Tharig won the tournament due to better tie-breaks. The remaining three were placed second to fifth respectively. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹4000000 + trophies + 100 bicycles and eight electric scooty, ₹1000000 for Category B. The top three prizes were ₹100000 + bike, ₹60000 and ₹40000 along with a trophy each. The winner's trophy Chairman MVM trophy was a lifelike human sized, just like it was for the GM section. This was his second overall, first rating tournament triumph in 2023. Photos: IA R Anantharam

Tharig's first rating tournament triumph of his career

17-year-old Mohammed Tharig of Madurai won the Velammal Hospital Madurai Chess Thiruvizha (Festival), organised by the Ananthi Chess Academy at Velammal College of Engineering & Technology. BV Manikanda Prabhu of Tamil Nadu, Sahil Sanjay Shejal and Prajwal Avhad both from Maharashtra and K Rahul of Tamil Nadu scored eight points each, as that of Tharig and were placed in that order. A total of 659 players participated in the nine round, 60' + 30" time control format.

Mohammed Tharig of Madurai won the B category of the Velammal Hospital - Ananthi Chess Academy 3rd International chess tournament

Mohammed Tharig made a nice rook sacrifice in a Caro Kann defence to get his pawn promoted, against P Kavishvaran in the sixth round. Tharig received one lac rupees for his hard work.

Mohammed Tharig is all smiles posing for a ride on the scooter

Dr. Suresh Kumar, Senior Principal, Velammal College of Engineering & Technology distributed the prizes.

B V Manikanda Prabhu of Tamil Nadu, the runner-up

After exchanging the queens on the seventh move, Manikanda Prabhu combined his rook, bishop and knight to checkmate V M Rajeev of Kerala. He collected ₹60000.

All the prize winners received either cash prize or one of the four electric scooters or one of the 50 bicycles

Sahil Sanjay Shejal of Maharashtra played a good game against M Farhaan of TN aligning his major pieces on the f-file in the seventh round. Though Sahil was placed third, he was adjudged as the best player in the 1301 to 1500 rating categorty, as it carried a cash prize of ₹60000 which is higher than third rank prize.

Sahil Sanjay Shejal drew with Tharig to finish third. He was adjudged as the best player in the 1301 to 1500 rating category

Prajwal Avhad was fortunate to win the game against BU Prajeesh of TN, because of a simple blunder by the latter.

Prajwal Avjad (right) defeated Yogesh Selvam of TN to secure the fourth place

The fifth place went to K Rahul of Tamil Nadu, who defeated VM Rajeev of Kerala in the final round

K Rahul played a good Sicilian defence against P Ashwath Narayanan to sacrifice his bishop. After both mopping up the queenside pawns in the rook ending, Rahul had three connected pawns on the kingside, paving the victory.

M Abhilash of TN was sixth in the overall ranking. Anyhow, he was placed second in the 1301 to 1500 category due to a higher cash prize here.

M Abilash (left) won the sixth place sharing the point with Raaghav Kabil of TN in the final round

Sanjay Chhabra of Delhi secured the seventh place, beating Harshil Mishra of Karnataka in the ninth round

Siddharth Mohan (right) of Kerala drew with Nikam Ravindra. He got the eighth place

Abhishek Patil of Maharashtra defeated K Prawin of Madurai to obtain the ninth rank. He was declared third in the 1301 to 1500 rating category, because of a higher prize

Sanjay Ganesh Pandi of Sivakasi (right) reached the tenth position by splitting the point with Akshat Mahobia of Chhattisgarh

Winner of the rating category 0 to 1199 - Deep Karmakar of West Bengal with his electric scooter prize and the cash award

Final standings

Rk.	SNo		Name	Typ	FED	RtgI	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB5
1	28		Mohammed, Tharig S		IND	1566	8	52,5	58	50,00	7
2	29		Manikanda, Prabhu B V		IND	1565	8	52,5	57	49,75	7
3	60		Shejal, Sahil Sanjay		IND	1475	8	51,5	55,5	47,75	7
4	32		Avhad, Prajwal		IND	1560	8	49,5	53,5	47,00	8
5	15		Rahul, K	U15	IND	1613	8	46,5	50,5	45,50	8
6	64		Abhilash, M	U15	IND	1468	7,5	51,5	55,5	45,00	6
7	4		Sanjay, Chhabra		IND	1648	7,5	50	54	43,00	7
8	39		Sidharth, Mohan	U15	IND	1543	7,5	49,5	53,5	43,25	7
9	86		Patil, Abhishek		IND	1443	7,5	49	53	42,75	7
10	128		Sanjay, Ganesh Pandi		IND	1378	7,5	48,5	51	39,25	7
11	16		Nikam, Ravindra		IND	1609	7,5	48	52,5	42,75	6
12	71		Kabnurakar, Rushikesh		IND	1458	7,5	44	47,5	37,75	7
13	18		Akshat, Mahobiya		IND	1603	7,5	43,5	46	38,25	7
14	87		Ashwath, Narayanan P	U15	IND	1442	7	55	59	43,50	6
15	56		Rajeev, V M		IND	1487	7	53	57	41,00	7
16	43		Yogesh, Selvam		IND	1527	7	52	56	40,75	6
17	140		Thanish, S A	U13	IND	1365	7	52	55	40,50	7
18	20		Farhaan, M		IND	1603	7	51,5	55,5	41,00	6
19	33		Prawin, K		IND	1558	7	49,5	53	39,25	6
20	11		Kirpesh, I	U15	IND	1629	7	48,5	52	38,00	6
21	24		Siddhesh, B U		IND	1579	7	48	53	40,00	7
22	38		Kavishvaran, P	U15	IND	1547	7	47	50	35,50	7
23	67		Vishwanath, Kannam		IND	1461	7	46	50,5	39,50	7
24	44		Andalamala, Hemal Varshan	U11	IND	1522	7	46	50,5	37,50	7
25	50		Shashveen, A K	U11	IND	1500	7	46	50	37,50	7
26	69		Manikandan, Tayalan		IND	1459	7	46	49,5	36,25	6
27	104		Rishi, R		IND	1417	7	46	49,5	33,50	7
28	13		Raaghav, Kabil M		IND	1617	7	46	48,5	37,00	6
29	46		Aswin, D	U15	IND	1516	7	45	49	38,00	6
30	74		Javed, Ansari		IND	1455	7	45	48,5	39,50	7
31	196		Mohana, Surya V	U15	IND	1301	7	45	48	36,25	6
32	30		Dhanasekaran Suresh, R.		IND	1564	7	44,5	48,5	36,25	6
33	25		Lukesh, A	U15	IND	1575	7	44	48	36,50	6
34	80	AIM	Jackson, V X	U13	IND	1448	7	44	48	35,75	6
35	118		Patil, Shantanu S	U15	IND	1394	7	43	46	33,50	7
36	57		Vigneshwaran, K		IND	1480	7	41	43	33,75	6
37	76		Harshil, Mishra	U15	IND	1454	6,5	49,5	54	35,75	6
38	174		Kavin, E	U11	IND	1328	6,5	49,5	52,5	34,25	6
39	19		Bright Lee, M Sunilkumar		IND	1603	6,5	48	52,5	36,75	5
40	2		Ram, Kumar G M		IND	1683	6,5	48	52,5	35,25	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.

The report was edited by Shahid Ahmed