Indian IM Chess Champion of Asia Junior | So Good News

Indian International Master (IM) Harshavardhan GB became the undefeated standard champion at the Asian Junior and Girls Chess Championship held at the Knights Templar Ridge Hotel in Tagaytay on Friday.

Harshavardhan went for the usual draw – which the 19-year-old from Chennai needed to win the gold medal – to take on fellow Mongolian IM Sugar Gan-Erdene “Bambol” Tolentino in the championship hosted by Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) President Abraham.

He finished the nine-round event with five wins and four draws with a 7.0 rating, pocketing the gold medal in the tournament that brought together 52 of the best young players from 11 Asian countries.

Ms. IM Ngoc Thuy Duong Bah, Vice Prime Minister of the National Chess Federation of the Philippines, won the gold medal among girls with 7.5 points, WIM Ravi Rakshitta of India (7.0) won the silver and Amina Kairbekova of WIM Kazakhstan (6.0) won the bronze. . President Athena Briana Tolentino, who is also Cavite’s vice governor, was inaugurated nine days ago.

Capturing the title gave Harshavardhan the first of the three criteria required for a player to become a grandmaster. He was an IM only two years ago.

Harshavardhan, who improved on the bronze medal he won at last year’s Asian Championship in Sri Lanka, said, “I am very happy to have won this tough and prestigious chess tournament.

Philippine IM Michael Concio Jr. defeated Indian international IM Saha Nilesh in the silver medal match. Concio, playing from Dasmariñas City, is undefeated with 6.5 points, built around four wins and five draws.

Gan-Erdene, along with four others, scored 6.0 points, but was awarded the bronze medal after a tie-break.

Also with 6.0 points were India’s Chatterjee Utsab (fourth), Philippines’ Eric Labog Jr. (sixth), India’s IM Raahul VS (sixth) and Iran’s Fide Master Arman Hakemi (seventh).

Despite falling short of the podium, Labog broke the 2,200 Elo rating barrier and took the IM title.

Indian Saha Nilash, Kazakh Fide master Danial Sapenov and Philippine national master Mark Jay Bakojo completed the top ten among boys with 5.5 points.