Arnav Kherdekar triumphs at 1st SMCA Rating Open 2024
31/10/2024 - Arnav Kherdekar and IM Vikramaditya Kulkarni scored an unbeaten 7.5/8 each at 1st SMCA Rating Open 2024. Arnav won the tournament on tie-breaks, top seed Vikramaditya was placed second. The sixth round battle between them ended in a draw. Third seeded Yash Watarkar scored sole 7/8 and remained undefeated to finish third. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹300000. The top three prizes were ₹50000, ₹30000 and ₹25000 along with a trophy each. The six-day eight round Rating tournament was organized by and at SMCA Chess School in Mumbai, Maharashtra from 11th to 16th October 2024. This is Arnav's first tournament triumph of the year. Photo: Mustafa Motiwala