In an electrifying display of chess prowess, Mandar Lad (Elo 2052) of Bardez Taluka clinched the title at the All-Goa Open Rapid Chess Tournament 2024 organised by Salcete Taluka Chess Association, at Fatorda, Margao. Mandar finished with a total of 8 points, after a victory in the final round against Shubh Vishnu Borkar (1595). The tournament had total participation of 165 players with 53 players being Fide-rated.
Mandar was beaten by Atharv Katkar (1663) in the 7th round before Atharv lost to Shubh in the 8th round. Ayush Shirodkar who also finished with 8 points along with Mandar, had to be content with the second position as Mandar had a slightly better Bucholtz tie-break.
Mandar received a trophy along with a cash prize of Rs. 3,500. Aayush Shirodkar (1757) of Salcete who outplayed Saras Powar(1713) in the ninth round, received a cash prize of Rs. 2,500 and a trophy. Joshua Mark Telles claimed the third spot defeating Rachel Pereira in the final round, and was honoured with a cash prize of Rs. 2,000 and a trophy.
The following players respectively secured 4th to 15th positions: Mayuresh Laxlabh Desai, Atharv Katkar, Shubh Borkar, Shriya Patil, Anish Naik, Aaryavrat Rasiket Naik Desai, Rachel Pereira, Saras Summer Powar, Tanvi Vasudev Hadkonkar, Sairaj Narvenkar, Jennica Sequeira, and Atharva Sawal.
In addition to the overall standings, the championship also recognised outstanding young talents and category champions as follows:
Under-15 (Boys):
·1st Place: Chaitanya Sushant Patil
·2nd Place: Borker Samarth
U-15 (Girls):
·1st Place: Avni Atul Kamat
·2nd Place: Vidhi Lolyekar
U-13 (Boys):
·1st Place: Satyam Phal
·2nd Place: Mayank Kurtikar
U-13 (Girls):
·1st Place: Lyia Marysil Silveira
·2nd Place: Saeeja Gunesh Dessai
U-11 (Boys):
·1st Place: Atharva Atul Borkar
·2nd Place: Atharv Ghatwal
U-11 (Girls):
·1st Place: Diya Digamber Sawal
·2nd Place: Skyla Rodrigues
U-9 (Boys):
·1st Place: Sarthak G Naik
·2nd Place: Vihaan Tari
U-9 (Girls):
·1st Place: Krutika Aggarwal
·2nd Place: Shinel Rodrigues
U-7 (Boys):
·1st Place: Prayank Gaonkar
·2nd Place: Evan Antonio Telles
U-7 (Girls):
·1st Place: Shreesha Sushant Ghadi
·2nd Place: Shaurvi Kankonkar
Best Salcete Taluka Category Prizes
U-15 (Boys): Prince Fernandes
U-15 (Girls): Aditi Atul Kamat
U-13 (Boys): Shuban Shamba Bandodkar
U-13 (Girls): Israa Rikarty
U-11 (Boys): Nathan Jess Cardozo
U-11 (Girls): Asmi Amit Terse
U-9 (Boys): Aryan Naik
U-9 (Girls): Shreeya Bandodkar
U-7 (Boys): Narayan Alias Aarav A Prabhu Dessai
U-7 (Girls): Shivanya Rao
