Telangana’s Bharat Kumar wins chess tournament

Kanpur: Top-rated Bharat Kumar Reddy Poluri of Telangana clinched Krishna Gopal Kapoor Memorial International Rating chess tournament that concluded at Ganges club on Sunday. He received a cheque of Rs one lakh and a trophy as prize.Accumulating 8 points after nine rounds, he emerged victorious. His state mate Kartavya Anadkat secured third place with 7.5 points, while Kamad Mishra, who previously led the tournament, finished fourth with 7 points. West Bengal's Arpan Das claimed fifth position with 7 points.Bharat Kumar Reddy Poluri (Telangana) encountered Arpan Das (West Bengal) in the final round. Bharat exhibited superior tactical skills in a French Defense variation .Arpan remained at 7 points.Naitik R Mehta faced Kamad Mishra (MP) in the ninth round. In a Pirc Defense, Naitik outplayed Kamad to secure victory. Naitik advanced to 8 points, whilst Kamad stayed at 7 points. Naitik received a cheque of Rs 60,000 with runner-up trophy.Anadkat confronted Rishabh Nishad of UP in the final round. Local favourite Rishabh succumbed in a Scotch Game. Kartavya reached 7.5 points, whilst Rishabh finished at 6.5 points, earning Rs 40,000 prize money.Sudhanshu and Himanshu Ranjan (Bihar) secured impressive victories. Sudhanshu overcame Govind Kumar (Varanasi), whilst Himanshu defeated Satendra Singh (Kanpur), both reaching 7 points. Their opponents remained at 6 points.Harish Sharma (Delhi) versus Gajendra Singh (Uttar Pradesh): Playing black in Zukertort Opening: Reversed Grünfeld, Harish prevailed, reaching 7 points, whilst Gajendra finished with 6 points.Om Chauhan (Uttar Pradesh) versus Ashutosh Kumar (Bihar): In a 66-move Advance French Defense, Om secured victory, reaching 7 points, whilst Ashutosh concluded with 6 points.Dr Sanjay Kapoor, President of FIDE India Zone 3.7, attended as chief guest and presented prizes.