Nitin S wins 33rd RCC STS Rating Open 2026

IM Nitin S and Sham R scored an unbeaten 8/9 each at 33rd RCC STS International Rated Classical Cup 2026. Nitin won the tournament on tie-breaks, Sham secured second place. IM P Saravana Krishnan, IM B T Murali Krishnan, Nishant T R and Anilkumar O T scored 7.5/9 each. They secured third to sixth place according to tie-breaks. The total prize fund of the festival was ₹1400001, ₹500001 in the Classical event. The top three prizes were ₹70000, ₹50000 and ₹35000 along with a trophy each.

Nitin’s first tournament triumph of the year

Five players – IM P Saravana Krishnan, IM Nitin S, Rutherford S, Sham R and Ayyappan P Santhana Prabu were the leaders at 7/8 each. Ayyappan lost to Nitin and the latter became the champion. Sham defeated Rutherford to secure second place. Saravana drew against CM Shrayan Majumder to finish third. Rao’s Chess Corner is run by Karnataka’s top chess couple – IM Sharan Rao and WIM Isha Sharma.

Champion – IM Nitin S 8/9 | Photo: Rao’s Chess Corner

Runner-up – Sham R 8/9 | Photo: Rao’s Chess Corner

Second Runner-up – IM P Saravana Krishnan 7.5/9 | Photo: Rao’s Chess Corner

Top 3 (L to R): 3rd IM P Saravana Krishnan 7.5/9, 1st IM Nitin S 8/9 and 2nd Sham R 8/9 | Photo: Rao’s Chess Corner

IM Nitin S scored an unbeaten 8/9, won the tournament on tie-breaks and gained 0.7 Elo rating points

The organizing team | Photo: Rao’s Chess Corner

For more photos, click here.

A total of 448 players including six IMs took part from all over the country and three from the USA. The five-day nine-round Rating Open tournament was organized by Rao’s Chess Corner at St. Theresas School Bethany Institution, Bendur in Mangalore, Karnataka from 27th March to 1st April 2026. Rest day was on 29th March. The time control of the tournament was 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment.

Final standings

Details

Links

Rao’s Chess Corner: Official site, facebook, instagram and youtube