Laxman emerges champion in Chennai Open chess tourney

Chennai, Jan 25 (PTI): Indian Grandmaster R R Laxman with eight points emerged champion on better tie-break score after the tenth and final round of the 10th Chennai Open International chess tournament here today.

Five players - Laxman, Ivan Rozum (Russia), Timur Gareyev (USA), Marat Dzhumaev (Uzbekistan) and Erigaisi Arjun (India). finished with eight points from 10 rounds. Laxman was declared winner on basis of a better tie-break score.

Chennai-based Laxman, also a former Commonwealth champion, received the winner's purse of Rs two lakh along with a trophy.

Top-seed Gareyev's defeat of second-seeded GM Rozum in the first board, ensured a five-way tie for the top.

The tournament saw three norms being made - Woman International Master norm achieved by C Lakshmi, International Master norms achieved by Karthik Venkataraman and Nikhil Dixit respectively.

Cash prizes to the tune of Rs 11 lakh to the top fifty finishers, were distributed by All India Chess Federation honorary secretary Bharat Singh Chauhan. FIDE vice-president D V Sundar was also present.

Final placings (Indians unless specified): 1-5. RR Laxman, Ivan Rozum (Russia), Timur Gareyev (USA), Marat Dzhumaev (Uzbekistan), Erigaisi Arjun (India) 8 pts, 6-12. J Deepan Chakkravarthy, Roeland Pruijssers (The Netherlands), Sidhant Mohapatra, K Rathnakaran, K S Raghunandan, Atalik Suat (Turkey), Nguyen Duc Hoa (Vietnam) 7.5 pts.

Important results (Round 10): Gareyev 8 bt Rozum 8, Karthik Venkataraman (7) lost to Erigaisi Arjun (8), R R Laxman (8) bt N R Visakh (7), Marcos Llaneza Vega (Spa) 7 lost to Dzhumaev (Uzb) 8, Sidhant Mohapatra (7.5) drew with Adam Tukhaev (Ukr) 7, Deepan Chakkravarthy (7.5) bt Sergei Tiviakov (Ned) 6.5.

Muhammad Khusenkhojaev (Tjk) 7 drew with Yuri Solodovnichenko (Ukr) 7, K S Raghunandan (7.5) bt Vitaly Sivuk (Ukr) 6.5, Anup Deshmukh (6.5) lost to Atalik Suat (Tur) 7.5, Roeland Pruijssers (Ned) 7.5 bt S Nitin (6.5), P Karthikeyan (6.5) lost to K Rathnakaran (7.5), Nguyen Duc Hoa (Vie) 7.5 bt Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury (6.5)