Lalit Babu emerges champion

Lalit Babu (left) with the winner’s trophy and cheque yesterday

India's Lalit Babu clinched the Mumbai International Grandmaster Chess tournament title after pipping Mamikon Gharibyan of Armenia on the basis of a higher tie-break score on Wednesday.

GM Babu won his ninth and final round match against top seeded Georgian GM Lavin Pantsulaia to accumulate eight points. But, he had to spend some anxious moments as Gharibyan also tallied eight points after winning his final match against Indian GM Neeloptal Das.

However, Babu's higher tie-break score of 54.5 as compared to Gharibyan's 54 ensured that the Indian laid his hands on the glittering trophy and took home the winner's purse of Rs 4 lakh.

Gharibyan's second-place finish was worth Rs 3 lakh. Another Indian, Deepan Chakravarthy, finished in fifth place, winning Rs 1.25 lakh.

In the juniors' section, India's Candidate Master Madhesh Kumar emerged champion after scoring a last-round win over Vyom Malhotra to collect eight points in total. Teen prodigy Madhesh, who impressed with his calm and focused play, won the title outright and earned Rs 2 lakh.

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