CM G Aakash of Coimbatore won the 21st edition of IM Norm tournament
Inauguration for 21st to 30th IM Norm Tournaments
The 21st Tamil Nadu IM Norm Closed Circuit Chess Tournament was inaugurated by Thiru J Meghanatha Reddy IAS, Chief Executive Officer, Member Secretary, SDAT in the presence of Dr. M Manickam, Chairman, Sakthi Group of Companies, President, TNSCA, Grandmaster R B Ramesh, Dronacharya Awardee, Indian Team Coach, Mr.P Stephen Balasamy, General Secretary, TNSCA, Mr. R Anantharam, Vice President, TNSCA, Mr. B Murugavel, Vice President, TNSCA, Mr.Paul Arokia Raj, IA, Tournament Coordinator and Mr.S Ganesh Babu, IA, Chief Arbiter of the Tournament.
The seven-day event was held at Hotel Abu Sarovar Portico in Chennai. The tournament aims to facilitate young aspirants in achieving their International Master Norms and is conducted using a round-robin format. Four foreign players and six Indian players competed in a total of 9 rounds.
Round 1 featured three decisive results: IM Alexander Slizhevsky, CM Aaakash G, and FM Adireddy Arjun won their games against GM Annageldyev Orazly, FM Sathvik Adiga, and N Lokesh, respectively. IM Slizhevsky Alexander took an early lead by defeating FM Adireddy Arjun, while CM Aaakash G held WGM Uuriintuya Uurtsaikh to a draw. By the end of the third round, IM Slizhevsky Alexander and CM Aaakash G led the tournament with 2.5 points each. Alexander drew with S S Manigandan, while Aaakash defeated GM Manik Mikulas. In the fourth round, CM Aaakash G defeated GM Annageldyev Orazly to reach 3.5 points, while IM Slizhevsky Alexander signed a draw with FM Sathvik Adiga, leaving him half a point behind the leader.
Manigandan halted Aaakash G’s winning streak by defeating him, while IM Alexander Slizhevsky drew with FM Daaevik Wadhawan. At the end of the fifth round, both Alexander and Aaakash led the tournament with 3.5 points. In the sixth round, FM Adireddy Arjun defeated GM Annageldyev Orazly, joining the leaders with 4.0 points. In the seventh round, CM Aaakash G emerged as the sole leader by winning his game against IM Alexander, who was closely followed by FM Daaevik Wadhawan and FM Adireddy Arjun, each with 4.5 points. At the end of the eighth round, FM Daaevik, CM Aaakash, and FM Adireddy shared the lead with 5.0 points each, highlighting the strong competitive nature of the tournament. Clash between the leaders Aakash and Adireddy ended up in a draw, while the other leader Daaevik lost to FM Satvik Adiga. IM Alexander, GM Manik Mikulas and S S Manigandan won their last games to join CM Aakash and FM Adireddy. Five players tied for the first place. CM G Aakash won the tournament with better tiebreak score. S S Manigandan, IM Slizhevsky Alexander, GM Manik Mikulas and FM Adireddy Arjun finished second, third, fourth and fifth respectively.
top three winners of 21st IM Norm Tournament
Prizes were distributed by Grandmaster V Vishnu Prasanna. Other guests on the dais were Mr. P. Stephen Balasamy, General Secretary of TNSCA, Mr. R. Anantharam, Vice President of TNSCA, Mr. Paul Arokia Raj, IA, Tournament Coordinator and Mr. S. Ganesh Babu, IA, Chief Arbiter of the Tournament.
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