Lalit Ranjan Sahu clinched the Championship trophy in 4th IS Open International FIDE Rated Chess Tournament 2025

The 4^th IS OPEN International FIDE Rating Chess Tournament 2025 was inaugurated by the Chief Guest Shri Asit Mukherjee Advisor, Cuttack District Chess Association at 10:30 A.M. Other distinguished guests were Shri Suryakanta Bisoi, Ex Executive Member, All Odisha Chess Association, Shri Amiya Ranjan Routray, Social Worker; and Shri Manas Pani, Secretray, IS Chess Centre.

The aim of the IS Chess Centre is to provide chess coaching from the grass-root level and to organize chess events in the Rapid/Standard format at regular intervals. The 4^th edition Classical event was the only platform in Odisha that offered Odisha Chess players the opportunity to participate in a pure classical Chess tournament. This event spanned 5 days, with a time control of 90 minutes plus 30-second increments from move number 1 and featured 9 rounds in a Swiss system league.

The Two lakh (₹ 2,00,000/-) prize money attracts only 248 participants from 4 States (Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal) with 74 International Rated players and 45 female players. Tournament was a resounding success, setting new benchmarks for chess events in Odisha. The collective efforts of players, organizers, and supporters ensured a smooth and well-organized tournament. With the growing enthusiasm and support from AOCA and IS Chess Centre, this event is poised to grow into a major FIDE-rated tournament in the coming years.

Finally, 14-year-old Master Lalit Ranjan Sahu from Cuttack remained unbeaten throughout the entire tournament, scored 8.0 points (7 win 2 draws) and clinched the Championship Trophy with a cash prize of ₹ 15,000/- cash. The tie-break decided the position of 1^st Runner-up & 2^nd Runner. The 3^rd seed Shreyaskar Tanti of West Bengal beat Atul Kakade, Maharashtra on 3^rd board and scored 7.5 points (7 win 1 draw 1 loss) and became the 1^st Runner-up with a cash prize of ₹12,000/-. The 2^nd seed Rabindra Kumar Ojha, a veteran player-cum coach of Odisha beat Ayush Aryan Mohapatra to become the 2^nd Runner-up & bagged ₹10,000/- and trophy.

The Championship concluded with Valedictory ceremony-cum-Prize Distribution, at 04:30 P.M. on 31^st March 2025. The Chief Guest was Er. Debabrata Bhatta, Secretary, All Odisha Cheess Association,Guest of Honour Shri Amiya Ranjan Routray, Social Worker, Shri Sanjay Jena, President, Manadi Development Association, Er. Subrat Ghadai, Corporator Cuttack Municipality Corporation, Shri Himanshu Sadangi, Secretary, Manadi Development Association, Shri Manoj Kumar Pati, President, IS Chess Centre; Shri Manas Pani, Secretary, IS Chess Centre and Chief Arbiter IA Suresh Chandra Sahoo, graced the occasion of the last day and distribute the prizes. We had considerable support from the parents and guardians of the kid participants.

The Chief Arbiter, Suresh Chandra Sahoo, International Arbiter was efficiently supported by Deputy Chief IA Santosh Kumar Mohapatra, NA Premjit Debnath, West Bengal, and NA Suraj Kumar Moharana from Odisha. Both National Arbiters demonstrated their dedication and hard work, successfully achieving their first FA Norm in this tournament.

Big thanks to the IS Chess Centre and All Odisha Chess Association for making such a tournament a Grand success, which will go a long way in creating awareness and popularising Chess in Odisha as well as India.