Shyaam Nikhil dominates 1st RK Foundation Sivakasi CS & SCC Rapid Rating Open 2025

by Jeyam Subbaiah C - 12/11/2025

GM Shyaam Nikhil P clinched the title at RK Foundation Sivakasi CC & SCS 1st FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament 2025. Grandmaster Shyaam, the recent World Railways Gold medalist, displayed his formidable strength and took to an unbeaten 8.5/9. He finished half a point ahead of the rest of the field to secure a well-deserved victory. Two players IM Murali Krishnan B T and FM Maheswaran P finished with eight points each, and were placed second and third respectively based on tie-break scores. The tournament featured a total prize fund of ₹200000, with the top three prizes of ₹26000, ₹22000, and ₹17000 respectively, each accompanied by a trophy. This one-day, nine-round FIDE Rated Rapid Open Tournament was jointly organized by RK Foundation, Sivakasi Chess Club, Sivakasi Chess Sparklers, and Ramco Institute of Technology, Rajapalayam, Tamil Nadu. Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

Unstoppable Shyaam Nikhil: From World Railways Glory to RK Foundation Rapid Champion

Top seed and World Railways Gold medallist, GM Shyaam Nikhil P of Tamil Nadu won the RK Foundation Sivakasi CC and SCS 1st FIDE Rated Rapid Chess Tournament 2025, organized by RK Foundation, Sivakasi Chess Club, Sivakasi Chess Sparklers, and Ramco Institute of Technology, Rajapalayam on 26th October 2025. After registering eight wins and a draw with IM Ajay Karthikeyan, he remained unbeaten throughout the event to score 8.5 points out of nine rounds. He took home the winner’s purse of ₹26000 along with a champion’s trophy for his impressive performance.

Champion - GM Shyaam Nikhil receives the trophy from P Pragadesh, TNSCA Joint Secretary and Dr. L Ganesan, Principal, RIT | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

Two players tied for the second place with a tally of eight points IM Murali Krishnan BT from Southern Railways had the best tie-break than FM Maheswaran P and declared as runner-up.

IM Murali Krishnan BT receives the runner-up trophy | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

Former Tamil Nadu Junior champion FM Maheswaran P of Sivakasi had the second-best tie-break to secure the second runner-up spot.

FM Maheswaran P of Postal services finishes third | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

While IM Murali Krishnan BT received ₹22000, FM Maheswaran P increased his bank balance by ₹17000.

In the final round, GM Shyaam Nikhil P defeated former Tamil Nadu Under-12 champion P Vignesh Kannan to clinch the championship title. Vignesh, who showed remarkable fighting spirit throughout the event, finished in a commendable fifth place.

GM Shyaam Nikhil won the title by beating Vignesh Kannan, who was declared fifth | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

GM Shyaam Nikhil scored an unbeaten 8.5/9, finished a half point ahead of the rest and gained 3.6 Elo rating points

IM Murali Krishnan B T secured the second place by defeating Revlin Ram in the final round, capping off a strong performance with a well-earned victory.

IM Murali Krishnan’s (right) only loss was against the champion. His win in the final round against Revlin Ram put him as the runner-up | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

FM P Maheswaran defeated Jagajit Sinha of Assam in the final round to secure the third place in the tournament. While, Jagajit secured ninth in the final standings.

FM Maheswaran P (left) and Jagajit Sinha won the third and ninth places | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

B Yashwant (White) of Madurai defeated Advaith Ashok Kumar in the final round to finish fourth. Advaith had the honour of securing the seventh place.

Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

WFM Marium Fatima had an impressive run-up and finished in the sixth place, displaying steady and confident play, despite her momentum halted in the sixth round, when she went down to FM Maheswaran P.

WFM Marium Fatima had an impressive show to secure the sixth place | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

Boggarapu Kritan of Scotland finished eighth in the final standings. His fine run was interrupted in the fifth round with a loss to IM Murali Krishnan B T.

IM Ajay Karthikeyan concluded his campaign with a final-round draw against M. Barath Kalyan, which left him in eleventh position overall | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

IM Ajay karthikeyan (left) had to be content with the eleventh place | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

Displaying remarkable consistency, GM Shyaam Nikhil P notched up his sixth straight win, overcoming Mutyalapati Modith Aaroh of Canada in a well-fought encounter that showcased his composure and precision.

GM Shyaam Nikhil registered his sixth win in-a-row by beating Mutyalapati Modith Aaroh of Canada | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

The top two seeds, GM Shyaam Nikhil P and IM Ajay Karthikeyan, settled for a draw in their eighth-round encounter, a result that effectively secured the championship title for the grandmaster with a round to spare | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

IM Murali Krishnan B T also maintained an excellent run, registering his sixth consecutive victory by defeating Gurubaran R in a well-contested game | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

After a draw in the third round, IM Ajay Karthikeyan bounced back by defeating Pulkit Rathi of Sivakasi, bringing himself back into strong contention in the tournament | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

Experienced Manigandan S S (right) suffered a setback in the eighth round, losing to Revlin Ram, who capitalized on his chances with precise play | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

IA Jeyam Subbaiah C, Chief Arbiter of Tournament, celebrated his birthday during the event with a cake-cutting ceremony. This tournament holds special significance as it marks his first assignment as Chief Arbiter in a FIDE-rated event, coinciding with his birthday celebration.

L to R: Sitting – GM Shyaam Nikhil P; Standing – IA Arumugam, Birthday Boy IA Jeyam Subbaiah C, Organizer and Icon of Indian Chess arbiting IA R. Anantharam (centre), Ganesh, and FA Ganesh Pandi A T, Deputy Chief Arbiter | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

A view of the playing hall with the top two seeds in action | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

The rapid international rated chess tournament witnessed a participation of 272 players from various states and institutions. Players represented diverse regions and institutions such as Canada, Scotland, ICF, Southern Railways, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Assam, Bihar, Jharkhand, Kerala, and Telangana, giving the tournament a truly national and international appeal.

The tournament was inaugurated by Mr. R Giridharan, Chief Operating Officer of Ramco Educational Institutions, along with Grandmaster Shyaam Nikhil P. In his address, Mr. Giridharan appreciated the efforts of the organizers for promoting chess among the youth and emphasized the importance of discipline and strategic thinking in both academics and sports.

Mr. R Giridharan, COO, Ramco Educational Institutions and GM Shyaam Nikhil inaugurated the tournament | Photo: IA Jeyam Subbaiah C

The tournament venue is located just 8 km from the scenic Shenbaga Thoppu falls and trekking area, in the foothills of the western ghat, is just one of the scenic beauties around the venue.

Shenbaga Thoppu is an enjoyable waterfalls near the venue

The Ramco Institute of Technology, owned by the Ramco Group, is currently chaired by Mr. P R Venketrama Raja, who has also contributed significantly to sports administration, having served as the elected President of the All India Chess Federation. His late father, Mr. P R Ramasubrahmaneya Rajha, was the founder chairman of the institute. The college is known for its serene and peaceful campus atmosphere, providing an ideal environment for both academic and sporting excellence.

Ramco Institute of Technology - a bird’s eye view

It is a proud moment for India, when 87-year-old TD Rajendran, treasurer of Sivakasi Chess Club won the 100 meters hurdles in the Asian Masters on 8th October. He has won about -fifteen Asian Masters races. His daughter Chitra Selvi was the Tamil Nadu under-12 chess champion in 1989 and another daughter Giri Raja Kumari was second in under-10 championship, same year.

TD Rajendran, Treasurer, Sivakasi Chess Club won the 100m Hurdles at Asian Masters, a few days back

Final standings

Rk.	SNo		Name	Typ	sex	Gr	FED	RtgI	Club/City	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB4	TB5	n	w	we	w-we	K	rtg+/-
1	1	GM	Shyaam Nikhil P			2862CHE2025	IND	2338	ICF	8,5	52,5	56	52,5	0	8	8	7,5	7,06	0,44	10	4,4
2	4	IM	Murali Krishnan B T			LM	IND	2055	S Rly	8	55	59	50,5	0	8	8	7	6,04	0,96	20	19,2
3	3	FM	Maheswaran P.			9269VNR2025	IND	2104	TN-V	8	53	55	48,25	0	7	8	7	6,39	0,61	20	12,2
4	11		Yashwant B			5556MDU2025	IND	1907	TN	7,5	50	55	44,75	0	7	8	6,5	6,37	0,13	40	5,2
5	10		Vignesh Kannan P			6862SIV2025	IND	1949	TN	7	53,5	56	41,5	0	7	8	6	5,51	0,49	40	19,6
6	20	WFM	Marium Fatima		w	NA	IND	1792	BIH	7	53	56,5	40,5	0	7	8	6	3,41	2,59	40	103,6
7	42		Advaith Asokumar	U14		NA	IND	1667	KER	7	51,5	55,5	40	0	7	8	6	3,08	2,92	40	116,8
8	13		Boggarapu Kritan			NA	SCO	1902	SCO	7	51	56	41	0	7	8	6	5,65	0,35	40	14
9	54		Jagajit Sinha	U14		NA	IND	1607	AS	7	51	53	38,5	0	6	7	5	1,25	3,75	40	150
10	21		Kathir Kaman T	U14		5851MDU2025	IND	1790	TN	7	50	54	40	0	7	8	6	4,69	1,31	40	52,4
11	2	IM	Ajay Karthikeyan			29538CHE2025	IND	2178	TN	7	49	53	38,75	0	5	8	6	6,17	-0,17	20	-3,4
12	7		Gokul G	U14		9019VPM2025	IND	1971	TN	7	48,5	52,5	40	0	7	7	5	5,93	-0,93	40	-37,2
13	15	WCM	Shanmathi Sree S	F14	w	24410CHE2025	IND	1862	TN	7	48,5	52,5	38,75	0	6	8	6	6,33	-0,33	40	-13,2
14	24		Mutyalapati Modith Aaroh	U11		NA	CAN	1775	CAN	7	48,5	49,5	34	0	7	8	6	3,75	2,25	40	90
15	29		Revlin Ram R H	U14		5056KKI2025	IND	1749	TN	7	47,5	51	36	0	7	8	6	4,17	1,83	40	73,2
16	22		Alaguraja M.A.	S55		5531MDU2025	IND	1786	TN	7	47	51,5	39	0	6	8	6,5	4,66	1,84	20	36,8
17	17		Savanth Krishnan R	U14		NA	IND	1847	KER	7	45,5	46,5	34	0	6	8	6	6,83	-0,83	40	-33,2
18	14		Abdallah M Nisthar			NA	IND	1880	KER	6,5	53	58	40,25	0	5	8	5,5	5,84	-0,34	20	-6,8
19	5	CM	Barath Kalyan M			8034TNJ2025	IND	2044	TN	6,5	49,5	54,5	37	0	6	8	5,5	6,63	-1,13	20	-22,6
20	16		Chujeeth Vignesh A			11932THE2025	IND	1853	TN	6,5	49	52	34,25	0	6	8	5,5	5,78	-0,28	20	-5,6
21	18		Sidharth Mohan			NA	IND	1835	KER	6,5	49	52	33,75	0	6	8	5,5	5,62	-0,12	40	-4,8
22	80		Viraat Jalan	U14		NA	IND	1503	JH	6,5	47,5	51,5	35,75	0	5	6	3,5	0,99	2,51	40	100,4
23	43		Jayakrishna H			10630CHE2025	IND	1662	TN	6,5	47,5	48,5	32	0	5	7	4,5	2,95	1,55	20	31
24	28	WCM	Kashthuri Bhai R		w	NA	IND	1751	A&D	6,5	46,5	49,5	32,75	0	6	8	5,5	5,73	-0,23	40	-9,2
25	44		Lenin A G			11182VNR2025	IND	1660	TN-V	6,5	46,5	49,5	32,75	0	6	8	5,5	3,78	1,72	20	34,4

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About the Author

IA Jeyam Subbaiah C is one of the youngest International Arbiters and a Fair Play Executive candidate from Tamil Nadu. Deeply passionate about chess and its regulations, he actively conducts training sessions and workshops on the Laws of Chess. He has delivered revision classes for FIDE Arbiter and Senior National Arbiter exams across various places, including Ahmedabad, Karaikudi, Trichy and Tuticorin.

Jeyam has also demonstrated excellence in his own officiating journey securing third rank in the International Arbiter Seminar and Examination, fourth rank in the FIDE Arbiter Examination, and joint first rank in the Senior National Arbiter Examination. After completing his B.Pharm at Madurai Medical College, he is currently pursuing his MBA in National Forensic Sciences University, Ahmedabad.

The report was edited by Shahid Ahmed