Team Herald
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PANJIM: Yash Manoj Upadhye (FIDE Rating 1696, Goa) emerged champion in the Category C of late Shri Manohar Parrikar 3rd Goa International Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament 2025, scoring an outstanding 9 points.
Joshua Mark Telles (FIDE Rating 1692, Goa), a promising U-11 player, secured second place with 8 points, while Joy Kakodkar (FIDE Rating 1681, Goa) claimed the third spot with the same score. Rudresh Fadte (FIDE Rating 1637, Goa) finished fourth, also with 8 points.
The tournament which concluded at the Dr Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Taleigao, recently, was organised by the Goa Chess Association under the aegis of All India Chess Federation (AICF). The top four prize winners were awarded cash prizes of Rs 1.35 lakh, Rs 1.05 lakh, Rs 90,000 and Rs 80,000 respectively, from a total Category C prize purse of Rs 13 lakh. Union Minister of State Shripad Naik, Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Govind Gaude, AICF Treasurer Dharmendra Kumar and Goa Chess Association officials, including President Mahesh Candolkar, Secretary Ashesh Keni, Treasurer Vishwas Pilankar, and Vice President Arvind Mhamal were present at the closing ceremony.
Anish Naik (20th), Chaitanya Sushant Patil (24th), Atharva Sawal (25th), Aniket Ekka (27th), Saiesh Audi (28th), Saeeja Gunesh Dessai (42nd), and Soham Naik (49th), were the other Goan players in the top 50, showcasing the depth of talent among Goan players.
Top 15 standings list: Yash Upadhye (1696, Goa) 9 points, Joshua Telles (1692, Goa, U-11) 8 points, Joy Kakodkar (1681, Goa) 8 points, Rudresh Fadte (1637, Goa) 8 points, Aarav Shah (1630, Gujarat, U-13) 8 points, Vansh Rasik Gala (1619, Maharashtra) 8 points, Prakhar Raj (1571, Haryana) 8 points, Shivam Pethkar (1605, Maharashtra, U-15) 7.5 points, Gaurav Sharma (1690, Delhi) 7.5 points, Ayya Umesh (1678, Maharashtra) 7.5 points, Ronit Motwani (1481, Maharashtra, U-15) 7.5 points, Aditya Koli (1658, Maharashtra) 7.5 points, Pratik Tambi (1617, Maharashtra, U-13) 7.5 points, Pratish Raj (1628, West Bengal) 7.5 points, Aleksandr Rakhmatullin (Russia) 7.5 points.
Following Goan players were awarded special prizes across various categories: Best Goan player: Aarth Karapurkar (1st), Raposo Maxwell (2nd), and Chopdekar Aarav (3rd).
Best female player: Sanvi Gaonkar (2nd). Age categories: U-15 girls: Vaishnavi Parab (1st), Shrivalli Gandhi (2nd). U-13 boys: Atharva Borkar (2nd). U-13 girls: AFM Diya Sawal (1st), Tanisha Dessai (2nd). U-11 girls: Skyla Rodrigues (1st), Avani Sawaikar (3rd). U-9 girls: Dukle Vaibhav (1st), Dacunha Sidonia (2nd), Amaira Borkar (3rd).