Bhadrak boy Sidhant Mohapatra emerged champion in the 2nd Gold Cup All-Orissa Chess Tournament, which concluded at Nehru Stadium in Bhadrak today. In the seven-round tournament, Sidhant and Rabindra Ojha (Cuttack) tied for the top spot with 6.5 points each. But in the Buchholz tie-break method, Sidhant pipped Ojha to take the title, which carried a cash prize of Rs 2,000.

The three-day tournament was hosted by Bhadrak District Chess Association (BDCA), under the aegis of All Orissa Chess Association. Bhadrak Collector Krushna Chandra Patra and SP Jay Narayan Pankaj gave away the trophy and cash prizes at the closing function. BDCA president Suvendu Ray Mohapatra and secretary Ashok Kumar Parija were present on the occasion.

Final standings (Top 10): 1. Sidhant Mohapatra (6.5), 2. Rabindra Ojha (6.5), 3. Debasis Chakraborty (5), 4. Srinath Bhoi (5), 5. Sanjay Kumar Das (4.5), 6. Satyabrata Kar (4.5), 7. Dasarathi Sahoo (4.5), 8.Chandan Kumar Sahoo (4.5), 9. Robin Mohapatra (4), 10. Saroj Rout (4).