Himal Gusain prevails at 37th All India Railway Individual Chess Championship 2025
IM Himal Gusain (Western Railway) scored an unbeaten 6/7 to win 37th All India Inter Railway Individual Chess Championship 2025. He finished a half point ahead of the rest. GM P Shyaam Nikhil (Integral Coach Factory), GM Mitrabha Guha (Metro Railway) and IM Aronyak Ghosh (Eastern Railway) scored 5.5/7 each. They secured second, third and fourth place respectively according to tie-breaks. Himal defeated the eventual runner-up Shyaam in the penultimate sixth round and drew against the second runner-up, Mitrabha in the final round to become a clear champion. This is Himal's sixth tournament triumph of the year and the only non-rated victory among them. Photos: Shahid Ahmed
Himal's sixth triumph of the year
GM P Shyaam Nikhil (Integral Coach Factory) made a fantastic start by winning five games in-a-row. IM Himal Gusain (Western Railway) defeated him in the sixth round to get himself in sole lead. Himal drew against GM Mitrabha Guha (Metro Railway) to become a clear champion, Mitrabha finished third. Shyaam shared the point with IM Aronyak Ghosh (Eastern Railway) to secure second place. Various players qualified to the upcoming World Railway Championship 2025. Two secret tournaments were followed by one exhibition Blitz Knockout tournament between eight players - only GMs and IMs. That will be mentioned in a separate report.
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A total of 91 players including 13 GMs and 18 IMs represented various railway divisions of Indian Railways across the country. The four-day seven-round Swiss League non-rating individual tournament was organized by Eastern Railway Sports Association at Eastern Railway Sports Academy Complex, Majerhat in Kolkata, West Bengal from 22nd to 25th August 2025. The time control of the event was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | IM | Gusain Himal | IND | 2477 | WR | 6 | 26,5 | 29,5 | 24,8 |
| 2 | 11 | GM | Shyaam Nikhil P | IND | 2423 | ICF | 5,5 | 28,5 | 32 | 23,3 |
| 3 | 4 | GM | Mitrabha Guha | IND | 2515 | METRO | 5,5 | 27 | 30,5 | 23,3 |
| 4 | 5 | IM | Aronyak Ghosh | IND | 2514 | ER | 5,5 | 26,5 | 30,5 | 23,5 |
| 5 | 10 | IM | Ayush Sharma | IND | 2432 | WR | 5 | 27 | 30 | 20 |
| 6 | 3 | GM | Vignesh N R | IND | 2516 | SR | 5 | 26 | 29 | 20,8 |
| 7 | 2 | GM | Visakh N R | IND | 2552 | ICF | 5 | 25 | 28 | 19,8 |
| 8 | 16 | GM | Thejkumar M. S. | IND | 2358 | SWR | 5 | 23,5 | 26,5 | 18,5 |
| 9 | 28 | GM | Laxman R.R. | IND | 2251 | ICF | 4,5 | 28,5 | 30,5 | 18,5 |
| 10 | 1 | GM | Ghosh Diptayan | IND | 2576 | ER | 4,5 | 27,5 | 31,5 | 19,3 |
