Vietnam GM Nguyen bags Mumbai Mayor chess title

Vietnam Grand Master Nguyen Duc Hoa clinched a decisive win against Indian GM Neelotpal Das in the 10th and concluding round to finish with 8.5 points and emerge champion of the 10th Mumbai Mayor's Cup International Open Chess Tournament today.
The contest between the Nguyen (ELO 2477, rank 10) and Neelotpal (ELO 2438, rank 13), the joint leaders with 7.5 points each after the ninth round, was a close tense affair.
The Vietnamese GM held his nerves and with some clever moves managed to outsmart the Indian GM to snatch a creditable win and the full point which secured him the victory and the top honours in the Rs 29-lakh prize money tournament.

The champion went home richer with the top prize of Rs 3 lakhs, while top-ranked Tajikistan GM Farrukh Amonatov (ELO 2635) took home a cheque of Rs 2 lakhs by finishing runner-up.
Amonatov finished with 8 points following his triumph over Russian GM Deviatkin Andrei (2481) to claim the second spot.
Indian Grand Masters Diptayan Ghosh, who had started with a flourish recording four successive wins in the opening rounds, and Neelotpal Das who shared the lead with Duc Hoa at the end of the penultimate round, finished with identical 7.5 points and were placed third and fourth respectively.

Ghosh picked a sum of Rs 1 lakh and Neelotpal received Rs 70,000 for their fine efforts.

Four other players ended with a tally of 7.5 points and claimed the fifth to sixth positions. Bangladesh Grandmaster Rahman Ziaur (5th), IM Karthikeyan P. (6th), Armenian Grandmaster Babujian Levon (7th) and FM Sai Krishna G.V. (8th), all finished with the same tally of points.
Results (top 10 boards) - Round 10: GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (2477, VIE) - 8.5 pts beat GM Neelotpal Das (2438, IND) 7.5; GM Deviatkin Andrei (2481, RUS) - 7 lost to GM Amonatov Farrukh (2635, TJK) - 8; GM Ghosh Diptayan (2569, IND) - 7.5 drew with GM Rahman Ziaur (2526, BAN) - 7.5; IM Khusenkhojaev Muhammad (2424, TJK) - 7 drew with GM Tukhaev Adam (2567, UKR) - 7; Navalgund Niranjan (2351, IND) - 6.5 lost to IM Karthikeyan P. (2502, IND) - 7.5; FM Rathanvel V. S. (2332, IND) - 7 drew with GM Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib (2484, BAN) - 7; FM Sai Krishna G. V. (2339, AP) - 7.5 beat GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J. (2480, IND) - 6.5; GM Babujian Levon (2438, ARM) - 7.5 beat FM Sauravh Khherdekar (2230, IND) - 6.5; Saurabh Anand (2266, IND) - 7 drew with IM Nitin S. (2427, IND) - 7; GM Grover Sahaj (2485, IND) - 7 beat Mithil Ajgaonkar (2203, IND) - 6.

Final Positions (top 8): 1. GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (VIE) - 8.5 points, 2. GM Amonatov Farrukh (TJK) - 8, 3. GM Ghosh Diptayan (IND) - 7.5, 4. GM Neelotpal Das (IND) -7.5, 5. GM Rahman Ziaur (BAN) - 7.5, 6. IM Karthikeyan P. (IND) - 7.5, 7. GM Babujian Levon (ARM) - 7.5, 8. FM Sai Krishna G.V. (IND) - 7.5.