K. Ratnakaran stunned the field to win the Penang Heritage International Open chess tournament in Malaysia. The Southern Railway employee from Kozhikode had begun as the 26th seed in an event featuring Grandmasters and strong International Masters.
Ratnakaran finished with eight points from nine rounds, the same as top seed Karen Grigoryan of Armenia, who had to be content with the runner-up spot because of an inferior tie-break score. Another Indian, R.R. Laxman, took the eighth place. Two more Indians — Erigaisi Arjun and Prantik Roy — finished in the top 20, clinching 12th and 16th places respectively. in a tournament that attracted 134 players from across the globe.
