[Source: Fiji Chess Federation]

Nadi based Avinesh Nadan is the new winner of the Apco Rapid Chess Championship held in the west over the weekend.

Nadan stunned top seed Manoj Kumar in the final 30 seconds of Round 7 to win his first-ever rapid tournament by direct encounter.

Nadan says he was impressed with the win as it was his first victory in a chess competition.

Participating in chess since 2017 and beating one of the best players was overwhelming for him.

General secretary Goru Arvind says having tournaments in the west has exposed new players.

He says seeing a Nadi player win is a strong statement from chess players outside of Suva.

Nadan also scooped the Best Upset Award for defeating higher ranked Manoj Kumar.

15-year old Rudr Prasad of Jai Narayan College came second by lower tie-break at 6/7 to the overall winner.

Manoj Kumar and Noel Adricula came third and fourth with 5.5/7.

Debutante players Leela Ramesh Kollabathula and Shayneel Chand secured fifth and sixth place with an impressive 5/7.

The Women’s Category was won by 14-year old Tanvi Prasad of Jai Narayan College with 4/7 while Luisa Corpuz finished second at 3/7.

In the Secondary School’s Category, Adarsh Karthik Maharaj put up a fine performance to come first with 4.5/7, while Mukesh Paranthaman and Nisheel Vignesh Chandra secured second and third place.

The Primary School’s Category saw Arnav Lal of Deenbandhoo Memorial Primary School winning with a solid 4/7 while Ricardo Luis Iv Corpuz came second with a score of 3/7.

The third to fifth positions were respectively secured by Shyam Paranthaman, Paul Anthony Corpuz and Jayden Albert Magnifico.

The Best Beginner’s Award was given to Leela Ramesh Kollabathula for scoring 5/7 in his first competitive tournament in Fiji.