The blitz chess competition conducted online to mark International Olympic Day on Tuesday turned out to be a nail-biter as the top three were tied at 7.5 points each with a possible Round 9.
Among the top contestants -- all from East Singhbhum -- Vatsal Singhania emerged winner on the basis of tie-break while IM-elect Abhishek Das finished second and Rohan Vijay Shandilya third.
Top seed Vatsal, reigning gold medallist in Asian Youth Under-18 Championship and an IM norm holder, used all his experience to top the list in a tough competition.
The highlight of the tournament was 10-year-old Souryadipta Sarkar from East Singhbhum who finished fourth with 7 points in his kitty. He played the strongest field and still managed and just missed the podium finish by half a point.
In age category event, Adhiraj Mitra (East Singhbhum) and Shreeya Someshwar Gaikwad (Ranchi) topped in the Under-11 boys and girls sections, respectively, while Debanjan Sinha and Navieka Jaiswal (both from East Singhbhum) notched up honours in the Under-13 boys and eves categories.
Ishant Kumar (Dhanbad) and Kriti Kumari (East Singhbhum) stamped their authority in the Under-15 (boys and girls) event, respectively, even as Kumar Utkarsh (East Singhbum) and Aditi Raj (Ranchi) claimed the top slot in the Under-19 (boys and girls) category.
The competition was organised by the All Jharkhand Chess Association in partnership with Jharkhand Olympic Association on the online platform, chess.com. As many as 109 contestants from nine districts participated in the tournament conducted online for the first time by the organisers.
