Gireman Ja outright winner of Sakthi Group 36th Tamil Nadu IM-norm RR 2025, Vivaan Vishal Shah third
CM Gireman Ja scored an unbeaten 7/9 to win Sakthi Group 36th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Round-Robin 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. Gireman also scored his maiden IM-norm at this event. GM Evgeniy Podolchenko scored sole 6.5/9 to secure second place. FM Vivaan Vishal Shah edged past IM Diasmany Otero Acosta (CUB) on tie-breaks to finish third scoring 5.5/9. The top three prizes were US$ 500, $300 and $200 each. Check out the tournament report written by revered International Arbiter, IA R Anatharam. Photo: IA R Anantharam
Gireman earns his maiden IM-norm
Gireman Ja of Coimbatore was the outright winner of the Sakthi Group 36th Tamil Nadu IM-norm Round-Robin Tournament, scoring seven points in nine rounds. He drew with GM Evgeniy Podolchenko in the final round to score seven points and also achieve the coveted maiden IM-norm, besides a cash prize of US$ 500.
Grandmaster Podolchenko is the only player to have scored 6.5 points to get the second rank and also US$ 300.
13-year-old VIvaan Vishal Shah of Gujarat had a slow start and picked up momentum to score 5.5 points, on par with IM Diasmany Otero Acosta (CUB). As Vivaan defeated Diasmany in the final round, he won the third place, ahead of Diasmany.
The tournament was inaugurated by Dr. M Manickam, President, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, whose brainchild is the Sakthi Group Tamil Nadu IM-norm Closed Circuit Tournaments.
The innovative idea of Dr. Manickam has revolutionized the Indian chess, with 22 IM norms from 36 tournaments. Many players who have participated in the series have already become International Masters, Grandmasters, and age category World Champions, attributing their success to these tournaments. The latest addition to the Indian IMs list is Apoorv Kamble of Karnataka, who achieved two IM norms in Tournaments 32 and 34 and also reached the coveted 2400 here.
Replay all games
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | CM | Gireman, Ja | IND | 2218 | 7 | 0 | 28,25 | 5 |
| 2 | 4 | GM | Podolchenko, Evgeniy | BLR | 2341 | 6,5 | 0 | 26,5 | 4 |
| 3 | 3 | FM | Vivaan, Vishal Shah | IND | 2331 | 5,5 | 1 | 21,75 | 5 |
| 4 | 7 | IM | Otero Acosta, Diasmany | CUB | 2306 | 5,5 | 2 | 21,75 | 3 |
| 5 | 8 | Hari, Ganesh T | IND | 2144 | 4,5 | 0 | 19,25 | 2 | |
| 6 | 9 | CM | Kumaresh, A | IND | 2248 | 4 | 0 | 14,25 | 2 |
| 7 | 10 | IM | Palencia Morales, Wilson Guillermo | COL | 2229 | 3,5 | 0 | 13,5 | 2 |
| 8 | 5 | FM | Jaiveer, Mahendru | IND | 2270 | 3 | 1 | 9,5 | 2 |
| 9 | 1 | IM | Claverie, Raul | ARG | 2164 | 3 | 2 | 14,5 | 1 |
| 10 | 2 | IM | Oblitas, Carlomagno | PER | 2321 | 2,5 | 0 | 11,25 | 0 |
About the Author
Prof. Rathinam Anantharam is an A-grade international arbiter. Member of FIDE Arbiters’ Commission, Chairman of Titles Commission in All India Chess Federation, Vice President of Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Chief Arbiter for six world championships, many Asian, International and National Championships. Nominated as one of the top seven arbiters in the world for the past hundred years by FIDE.
The report was edited by Shahid Ahmed
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