West Bengal International Master (IM) Sayantan Das emerged champion in the 2nd All-India Balasore Open FIDE Rating Chess Tournament, which was organised by Balasore District Chess Association (BDCA), under the aegis of All Odisha Chess Association (AOCA) at NOCCI Business Park, Bampada, Balasore from May 5 to 10, 2017.

Sayantan scored 8.5 points out of a possible nine to take home the top prize of Rs 50,000. In fact, West Bengal players made a clean sweep of the top three prizes as Arindam Mukherjee (7.5) and Woman Candidate Master (WCM) Chandreyee Hajra (7) pocketed the second and third prizes of Rs 35,000 and Rs 25,000 respectively. The nine-round tournament carried a total prize fund of Rs 5 lakh.

Altogether 132 players participated in the tournament, which was inaugurated by Balasore District Magistrate Pramod Kumar Das. Rakesh Kumar Nayak was the most successful Odisha players, finishing fourth with seven points. He received a cash prize of Rs 15,000.

Balasore Sadar MP, Rabindra Kumar Jena graced the closing function as chief guest and handed over the trophies and cash prizes. AOCA vice-president Ranjan Mohanty, BDCA president Debasis Chakraborty, working-president Pradipta Kumar Panda and secretary Manoranjan Panda were present on the occasion.

FINAL  PLACINGS (Top 20): 1. IM Sayantan Das (WB, 8.5), 2. Arindam Mukherjee (WB,7.5), 3. WCM Chandreyee Hajra (WB, 7), 4. Rakesh Kumar Nayak (Odi, 7), 5. Rajesh Nayak (Odi, 7), 6. Ansuman Samal (Odi, 6.5), 7. Lochan Kumar Das (Odi, 6.5), 8. IM Suvrajit Saha (WB, 6.5), 9. Soham Das (WB, 6.5), 10. Nayak Biswajit (Odi, 6.5), 11. Rupankar Nath (WB, 6.5), 12, Rajesh Kumar Nayak (Odi, 6), 13, Sourath Biswas (WB, 6), 14. Baivab Mishra (Odi, 6), 15. Manish Kumar (Odi, 6), 16. Susobhit Das (Odi, 6), 17. Rupam Mukherjee (WB, 6), 18. Tuhin Dutta (WB, 6), 19. Ashok Kumar Jaju (Odi, 6), 20. Bishal Pattnaik (Odi, 6).
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PHOTO: Prize winners, guests and officials (L-R) Pradipta Kumar Panda, Debasis Chakrabarty, Sayantan Das, Ranjan Mohanty, Rabindra Kumar Jena, Arindam Mukherjee and Manoranjan Panda at the prize-distribution function in Balasore on May 10, 2017.