MUMBAI, 22 NOVEMBER, 2023 (GPN): Ram Vishal Parab secured the championship title in the inaugural leg of the 360 One Wealth Grand Prix Series by securing a comfortable draw in his final-round match against Atharva Soni and earned a prize of Rs. 50,000/- along with the impressive trophy.

Ram chose a cautious strategy to counter Atharva’s Giuoco Piano opening, systematically exchanging pieces at regular intervals. Despite gaining a pawn advantage on move 27, he ultimately opted for a truce.

A tie occurred for the second-place position, with the top-seeded Paras Bhoir, second-seeded Arvind Iyer, and third-seeded Arnav Koli all scoring 6 points each. The tie-breakers ultimately favored Arvind, securing him the second-place position, while Arnav and Paras had to settle for third and fourth place, respectively. Arvind received a prize of Rs.30,000, while Arnav and Paras were awarded Rs.25,000 and Rs.15,000, respectively.

Anirudh Subramanian, Aaren Malhotra, and Bharati Shlok were named the top unrated players of the tournament while Aum Bhat, Sherwin Prabhudabholkar, and Sarah Jacob were recognized as the standout players from the Indian Chess School.

The winners of the tournament organized by the Indian Chess School received a total of Rs.2,50,000 in cash prizes and 24 medals.

The second leg of this series, evolving into a significant platform for young talents, is set to commence on December 19, 2023.

Final Rankings with cash awards:
1 Ram Parab ₹ 50,000
2 Iyer Arvind ₹ 30,000
3 Arnav Koli ₹ 25,000
4 Bhoir Dilip ₹ 20,000
5 Soni Atharv ₹ 15,000
6 Guru Prakash ₹ 10,000
7 Darsh Shetty ₹ 10,000
8 Shah Purvaan ₹ 10,000
9 Vageesh S ₹ 10,000
10 Pasbola Samvid ₹ 10,000
11 Agraval Shravan ₹ 5,000
12 Jagesia Daksh ₹ 5,000
13 Naksh Malik ₹ 5,000
14 Mayuresh Desai ₹ 5,000
15 Ruchit Acharya ₹ 5,000