DIMAPUR, April 28 (MExN): Roy Chowdhury Saptarshi of West Bengal emerged champion at the 1st Nagaland Open FIDE Rating Rapid Chess Tournament 2025 Monday, edging Tanmay Rajbongshi and Singh Soram Rahul of Assam on progressive tiebreaks after all three finished with 7½ points out of nine. Arpan Das (Junior) of West Bengal placed fourth on tiebreak, while FIDE Master Joydeep Dutta rounded out the top five with 7 points.
The nine-round Swiss-system event, featuring a time control of 10 minutes with a five-second increment per move, was held at the Hall of Don Bosco Institute for Development and Leadership in Riverbelt Colony, Dimapur. Organized by the Nagaland Chess Association under the aegis of the All India Chess Federation, the tournament drew 146 participants, including 45 from Nagaland and entrants from Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Odisha, Sikkim, Tripura, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal.
Among the field were 90 FIDE-rated players and 56 unrated competitors. Titles on display included one Grandmaster (GM), one FIDE Master (FM), one Woman FIDE Master (WFM) and one Candidate Master (CM). The April 24 opening ceremony featured Dr. Tinojongshi Chang, deputy commissioner of Dimapur, as chief guest and AICF President Nitin Narang as special guest, with poet and educator Dr. Theyiesinuo Keditsu serving as tournament patron. AICF Treasurer Dharmendra Kumar, Joint Secretary H. Lalthlamuana and Head of Operations A.K. Verma, along with some 20 state chess association officials, also attended.
In the Best Nagaland category, Kevilekho Zumve topped the section with 6½ points, followed by Melesai Dawhuo (6) and Kehung Haikam (5). The unrated section saw Vikiye Sumi lead with 6 points, while Toivi Yepthomi and Burakum each scored 5½. Veteran honours went to Ruguolie Angami, S.I. Toshi and Shyamal Sarkar, all on 5 points. In the under-8 division, Reku Haikam claimed first with 2 points and Noune Terhuja took second with 1½.
The tournament featured 10 categories and awarded 49 prizes from a 300,000-rupee prize pool, along with trophies and certificates.
