Chess
GM Karthik Venkataraman wins National Chess C'Ship 2024
GM Karthik narrowly edged out GM Surya Ganguly and IM Neelash Saha in the tiebreak system to clinch his second consecutive national title.
GM Karthik Venkataraman at the 2023 FIDE World Cup. (FILE Photo: Shahid Ahmed)
Grandmaster (GM) Karthik Venkataraman edged out GM Surya Ganguly and International Master (IM) Neelash Saha to win his second consecutive national title at the 2023 National Chess Championship in Gurugram, Haryana, on Tuesday.
By defending his title, he became the ninth Indian chess player to achieve the feat.
It was a three-way tie for the top spot at the end of 11 rounds, with Karthik, Surya and Neelash finishing the tournament with 9 points each.
GM Karthik defeated GM Mitrabha Guha in the 11th and final round of the tournament to stay in the hunt for the crown jewel.
A better Buchholz Cut1 tie-break rating of 78 meant Karthik emerged as the winner.
While Surya had a tie-break score of 77.5, International Master Neelash, who finished third, could gather only 76.5 tie-break points.
Karthik, who became the grand master in 2018 at 18, is currently the world’s 282nd-ranked player.
He didn’t lose a single game during the tournament and made crucial draws against GM Sayantan Das, GM Diptayan Ghosh, GM M R Babu Lalith, and IM Aronyak Ghosh.
Karthik, the 24-ranked Indian chess player, also registered remarkable wins against Neelash, IM Ajay Karthikeyan, and GM Mitrabha Guha en route to winning the national crown.
Karthik won a cash prize worth Rs 6 lakh for winning the title, while runner-up Surya got Rs 5 lakh and Neelash bagged Rs 4 lakh, respectively.
