IM Ramnathan Balasubramaniam clear first at 4th Zion-Alwin Fide Rated Open 2026
International Master Ramnathan Balasubramaniam clinched the title of the 4th International Fide Rated Chess Tournament organised by Zion-Alwin Group of Institutions with 7.5/8 points and a clear half-point lead over the field. Four players scored 7/8 points, but better tiebreaks helped Jayanth Venkatesh to secure second place, while Dharsh M secured third place. The event was held at Zion International Public School, Mappedu, Chennai, from 10th to 13th January with a total prize pool of ₹4,00,000, including the top three prizes of ₹40,000, ₹30,000, and ₹25,000, respectively. Photos: FT & IA Ravichandran Venkataraman/Founder Mount Chess Academy
IM Balasubramaniam's first-rated tournament victory of the year
Ramnathan Balasubramaniam started the year 2026 on a great note; he won the title of the 4th Zion-Alwin Group tournament without losing a single game. This Tournament featured a strong field with 216 International Rated Chess players. and a total of 348 players from all over India. The event also saw two international players taking part from Germany and Egypt. The time control of the event was 90 minutes + 30 seconds. This event was organised by Zion-Alwin Group of Schools with the technical assistance of Mount Chess Academy.
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Final Ranking after 8 Rounds
Rk. | SNo |
| Name | Typ | sex | FED | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | IM | S55 | IND | 2036 | Tamil Nadu | 7,5 | 41,5 | 45 | 41,5 | 0 | 7 | |||
2 | 4 | AIM | U14 | IND | 2014 | Tamil Nadu | 7 | 42 | 46,5 | 39,5 | 0 | 6 | |||
3 | 15 | U14 | IND | 1866 | Tamil Nadu | 7 | 40,5 | 44 | 36,75 | 0 | 6 | ||||
4 | 3 | AGM | IND | 2019 | Chhattisgarh | 7 | 40 | 44,5 | 38 | 0 | 7 | ||||
5 | 16 | IND | 1865 | Tamil Nadu | 7 | 39 | 43 | 37 | 0 | 6 | |||||
6 | 18 | U12 | IND | 1848 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 41 | 45 | 34,75 | 0 | 6 | ||||
7 | 44 | U12 | IND | 1721 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 40,5 | 44,5 | 34 | 0 | 6 | ||||
8 | 1 | CM | IND | 2153 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 40,5 | 43,5 | 32,75 | 0 | 6 | ||||
9 | 28 | AIM | U18 | IND | 1793 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 38,5 | 41 | 31,5 | 0 | 6 | |||
10 | 14 | U12 | IND | 1876 | Karnataka | 6,5 | 36,5 | 40,5 | 31 | 0 | 6 | ||||
11 | 7 | IND | 1991 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 36,5 | 39,5 | 29,75 | 0 | 6 | |||||
12 | 32 | S55 | IND | 1770 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 36 | 39 | 30,25 | 0 | 5 | ||||
13 | 23 | U18 | IND | 1829 | Tamil Nadu | 6,5 | 33,5 | 36,5 | 29,25 | 0 | 5 | ||||
14 | 8 | IND | 1983 | Telangana | 6 | 42 | 46,5 | 33,25 | 0 | 5 | |||||
15 | 25 | IND | 1806 | Tamil Nadu | 6 | 40,5 | 43,5 | 30,25 | 0 | 5 |
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