Vedant Nitin Vekhande wins 2nd Runwal Rapid Rating Open 2026
CM Vedant Nitin Vekhande, FM Jaiveer Mahendur, GM Diptayan Ghosh and IM Himal Gusain scored an unbeaten 8/9 each. Vedant won 2nd Runwal Rapid Rating Open 2026 on tie-breaks.
Vedant wins the first Rapid tournament he plays of the year
CM Vedant Nitin Vekhande played only two tournaments in 2026 so far. He won the second event which is this one. GM Diptayan Ghosh and IM Himal Gusain were the coleaders at 7.5/8 each, heading into the final round. Four players – Harsh Ghadge, CM Vedant Nitin Vekhande, FM Jaiveer Mahendru and Vedant’s younger brother – FM Kshatriya Nitin Vekhande were trailing by a half point at 7/8 each. Kshatriya lost to his brother Vedant and the latter became the champion. Jaiveer defeated Harsh to secure second place. Himal drew against Diptayan and the latter finished third.
The total prize fund was ₹200000. The top three prizes were ₹40000, ₹25000 and ₹15000 with a trophy each.
Champion – CM Vedant Nitin Vekhande 8/9 | Photo: Runwal group
Runner-up – FM Jaiveer Mahendru | Photo: Runwal Group
CM Vedant Nitin Vekhande scored an unbeaten 8/9, won the tournament on tie-breaks and increased his Elo rating by a whopping 160.8 points
A total of 361 players including a GM and five IMs took part from various parts of Maharashtra and a few from other states. The one-day nine-round Rapid Rating Open tournament was organized by Aryan Institute of Chess Excellence at Runwal Garden in Dombivali, Maharashtra on 15th August 2026. The time control of the tournament was 10 minutes + 5 seconds increment.
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