International Master Ritviz Parab from Goa, S.S. Manigandan from Tamil Nadu, and M. Dhanush Ram from Karnataka were the first three winners in the 5th Kudremukh Trophy, the All-India Open Fide Rating Rapid Chess Tournament organised by KIOCL (Kudremukh Iron Ore Company Ltd.,) that concluded in Mangaluru on Sunday.
The two-day tournament was inaugurated by Y. Bharath Shetty, Mangaluru City North MLA, at Nehru Bhavan, KIOCL Township in Kavoor on Saturday. The tournament consisted of 184 trophies with cash prizes worth ₹3 lakh. International Arbiter B.H. Vasanth and Deputy Arbiters Sakashath, Umanath Kapu, Saundarya, Babu Poojary and Nayan Karakal helped smooth conduct of the tournament.
As many as 416 participants, including those from Goa, Haryana, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka etc., competed in the tournament. The youngest was a four-year-old while the eldest was an 83-year-old in the tournament. Prizes were distributed for the categories in Open Level, under 7, 9, 11, 13, 15 years in both male and female category. Also prizes were distributed for Dakshina Kannada player categories and special prizes were distributed for the youngest players boys/ girls, physically challenged and veteran players.
The valedictory was attended among others by KIOCL Chairman and Managing Director T. Saminathan, Director (Finance) Swapan Kumar Gorai, Director (Production & Projects) K.V. Bhaskara Reddy, Dakshina Kannada Chess Association president Ramesh Khota and others. KIOCL Senior Manager (HR) and Tournament Coordinator S. Murgesh briefed the audience about the Tournament.
