LJ University in Ahmedabad hosted a nine-round rapid rating chess tournament on February 16 and 17, drawing around 2,000 participants in an attempt to set a Guinness world record for the largest such event from a single university. The event provided free AICF registration, meals, and refreshments to all players. Krunal K Solanki won with a perfect score of 9/9 points.
The tournament, organized by LJ University on its Ahmedabad campus, featured 2,000 players competing in a FIDE-rated nine-round rapid format. It marked a significant escalation from the previous year's unrated event, which had 867 participants, highlighting the university's commitment to large-scale chess initiatives.
Krunal K Solanki, an invited rated player, claimed victory with nine points from nine games. Saumil Nair, a professor at LJ University and the second seed, finished second with 8.5 points. Among LJ University students, Ranpura Yatharth, seeded 1,445th, topped the subgroup with eight points, placing seventh overall. Parajapati Ayush followed with eight points for second in the student category, eleventh overall. Jash Mistry and Oza Dhir also scored eight points, taking third and fourth among students.
The event was led by Ankit Dalal, an LJ University alumnus who operates Brain Power Chess in Ahmedabad and founded My Chess Trip, which assists Indian players in European tournaments. Dalal is also noted as a ChessBoxing player.
Inauguration ceremonies included Dev Patel, Honorary Secretary of the All India Chess Federation; LJU Vice Chancellor Dr. Dinesh Awasthi; Grandmaster Tejas Bakre; Bhavesh Patel, former AICF joint secretary; and Ajeet Kumar Verma, AICF Head of Operations.
This tournament echoes Ahmedabad's chess history, including a 2010 Guinness record where 20,480 players faced 1,024 masters, involving five-time world champion Viswanathan Anand. LJ University, sometimes referred to as LJK University, manages 32 institutes, educates over 21,000 students, and employs more than 1,000 faculty across various programs emphasizing holistic education.
The report was written by Prof. Rathinam Anantharam, an A-grade international arbiter and member of FIDE's Arbiters’ Commission, with editing by Devansh Singh.
