Port Blair, May 24: It is a proud moment for the islanders as J S Virat, a young budding chess player and student of Class VI, VKV Lambaline Port Blair, shone in the 12th LBHM Open FIDE Rapid Rating Chess Tournament 2024 held on May 22 and 23, 2024 at Pune, Maharastra, by finishing 9th in the under-11 category.

He scored 5.5 points out of 9 Rounds with five wins and a draw including two wins and a draw against higher rated opponents. He was awarded a medal and a certificate for this achievement.

Around 770 players including five Grandmasters and six International Masters from all over India participated in the Rapid Tournament which concluded last night.

Meanwhile, the tournament for players rated below 1800 is underway with around 670 players from all over India participating in this classic tournament which also has three players from A&N Islands, namely J S Virat, D Shrestha Vijay and Shrihaan Karmakar.