International Master Ritviz Parab of Salcete Taluka Chess Association, Goa, emerged the champion of the 5th Late Venkatesh & Sumathi Shanbhag Memorial All India FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Rolling Trophy Tournament 2026. The tournament, which was held on May 2nd and 3rd at St. Theresa School, Mangor Hill, witnessed a massive turnout of 356 players from across the country.
After nine gruelling rounds of competition under the supervision of Chief Arbiter IA Sanjay Kavlekar, the final standings were: Winner: IM Ritviz Parab (Goa), Runner-up: Shri Santu Mondal (Delhi), Second Runner-up: Lad Mandar Pradip (Bardez, Goa), 4th Place: GM Roy Chowdhury Saptarshi, 5th Place: Joshua Mark Telles.
The 6th to 20th prizes were bagged by Kavish Gharse, Saras Powar, Mani Bharathy, Pednekar Balkrishna, Patil Abhishek, Nandakumar Sulikeri. Bezstrakhov Dmitry, Nadar Thangraj, Rajveer Patil, Ivan Dias, Aryan Raikar, Shirodkar Arthav, Divam Arya, Adarsh Patekar & Varad Naik.
Rating Categories: Rejmon Fernandes (1400-1599) and Rishit Gawas (1600-1799) took top honors in their respective brackets. Special Awards: Sanika Shyamrao Naik topped the unrated category, while Menon Padmanand was named Best Veteran. Shreya Daingade secured the title for Best Woman (Above 18). Academy Excellence: Centenary Chess Academy (Vasco) received the Best Academy Award for maximum participation.
To encourage the next generation, 60 trophies were distributed across Under-07 to Under-15 categories for both boys and girls.
Sponsored by the Venkatesh Shanbhag Charitable Trust, the event featured a total prize pool of Rs. 1,25,000 and 94 trophies. Managing Trustee Sukhant Shanbhag, the Chief Guest, emphasised the role of chess in daily life and praised the new president of MTCA, Sujan Sukhtankar, for his innovative organization.
Sukhtankar reaffirmed MTCA’s commitment to growth, stating, “We aim to upgrade our players’ skills through dedicated chess camps and training programs by reputed coaches.”
The prize distribution was attended by Deepak Gawas (Secretary, MTCA), Mukesh Adhia (Treasurer), Mukund Kambli (Tournament Director) and Kishor Bandekar (Former AICF Treasurer).
