Rohan Shandilya wins 5th Jharkhand Open Rapid Chess Championship

SUBHASH MISHRA

Dhanbad, June 23: Rohan Shandilya from Jamshedpur clinched the title at the 5th Jharkhand Open Rapid Chess Championship, held at Arka Jain University in Gamharia and organized by the Seraikela-Kharsawan District Chess Association.

A former state champion, Shandilya secured 8 points out of 9 rounds to win the championship. Vibhash Kumar Sinha of Ranchi, who also scored 8 points, was declared runner-up based on progressive points. Manish Sharma from West Singhbhum finished third with 7.5 points.

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In an intense tournament, both Rohan and Vibhash lost one match each — Rohan was defeated by Abhinav Kumar Singh in the third round, while Vibhash lost to Rudra Nil in the fourth round. The top three players were awarded cash prizes of ₹7,000, ₹6,000, and ₹5,000 respectively.

According to Ajay Kumar, General Secretary of the Seraikela-Kharsawan District Chess Association, a total of 221 players from across Jharkhand took part in the event. Cash prizes were awarded to 20 players, including age-category champions in Under-8, Under-12, Under-14, and Under-16 divisions.

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The closing ceremony was graced by Seraikela Deputy Commissioner Nitish Kumar Singh as the chief guest. Other dignitaries present included Gamharia Circle Officer N.K. Singh, Arka Jain University Director Amit Srivastava, Shailendra Kumar, Binod Singh, Abhishek Das, and Suraj Bhadani, who together distributed the prizes to the winners.

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The tournament was officiated by International Master and former General Secretary of the All Jharkhand Chess Association, Neeraj Kumar Mishra, who served as the chief arbiter. The vote of thanks was proposed by Manoj Kumar, President of the Seraikela-Kharsawan District Chess Association.

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