GM Sadhwani emerges champ in Arena Kings tourney

Grandmaster (GM) Raunak Sadhwani added another feather to his cap as he emerged champion in the third week of the ninth season of Arena Kings chess tournament.

The 16-year-old got the better of Vietnam’s International Master (IM) Le Tuan Minh in the summit clash 3-2. The tournament was played online on the platform of chess.com.

After a usual two-hour clash among the participants in the arena format, the best 16 finishers were locked in a knockout tournament which was played with a 3 0-time control.

While Raunak defeated former Arena silver medalist Elias Asef in the first round 2-0, the youngest GM surprised experienced Argentine Grandmaster Alan Pichot in the quarterfinals. The quarterfinal saw the former winning it 4.5-3.5, with five straight draws after a 1-1 start before the city GM finally broke through. In the semifinal, Raunak outwitted Peruvian GM Martinez 2-0 to set the summit clash with Vietnam’s Minh.

The finals were very close with White winning the first four games. Raunak sealed the fate of Minh by winning the fifth game while defending with his black pieces for the triumph.