Karuppasamy C from Tamil Nadu emerged as the winner of the 3rd International Open Fide Rated Below-1700 chess tournament, organized by the Star Chess Foundation. He finished with an unbeaten score of 8 out of 9 points. The event, held in Trichy, drew nearly 500 participants over three days.
The tournament took place from January 10 to 12 at the Indra Ganeshan Group of Institutions in Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Players competed under a time control of 45 minutes plus a 30-second increment starting from the first move. A total of 480 participants joined the 3-day competition, which featured a prize fund of ₹600,000, including 100 cash prizes and 125 trophies.
Karuppasamy C secured first place with his strong performance, drawing twice but winning the rest of his games. The battle for second was tight, with four players tying at 7.5 out of 9 points. Baland Prajith S T took second on superior tie-break scores, while Raman R claimed third.
Prizes for the top three finishers were ₹50,000 for first, ₹35,000 for second, and ₹25,000 for third. The final rankings highlighted other strong showings, such as Shahid Husain and Sankaranarayanan V in the tie for second, followed by players like Aditya K G and Muhammed Thoufeek N.
This Fide-rated event provided a platform for lower-rated players to gain experience and ratings points in an international setting. Photos from the event were provided by Mr. P. Ismail, capturing the competitive atmosphere.