SRM And Jeppiar Lead With Perfect Scores After Week Four
SRM-A and Jeppiaar University are leading the 2025 India College Chess Championship Spring Season (ICCL) with perfect scores after four rounds!
Teams SRCC and ISIK-A are currently in third and fourth positions, respectively.
Standings after Round 4 | Division 1
Interesting moments
Soham Dey is representing Jadavpur University in this event. He is a former U-18 West Bengal State Champion and currently has a FIDE rating of 1943! A moment from his game reminds me of the popular "ROOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOK" meme.
Sometimes, the impact of an opponent's move can extend beyond just the immediate turn. Here’s an example where White captured a pawn on h6, which then provoked a mistake, allowing White to capture another pawn.
Keeping an eye on the drawbacks of the opponent's move has its advantages, but this was missed in the following game. Can you exploit the drawback of Black's ...Qe6?
A quick note about Pranesh: He earned his grandmaster title in 2023 and is actively working on improving his game. He learned chess from his elder brother, Dinesh Rajan M, who currently has a FIDE rating of 2157. A tweet from Pranesh’s coach, GM Ramesh R.B., is quite inspiring.
An inspiring fact about Pranesh, till he became an IM, he didn't have access to a laptop for his chess preparation. To every child out there, no matter where fate has landed you, don't despair, believe in yourself, and work hard, the same fate will reward you and lift you up.
— Ramesh RB (@Rameshchess) January 6, 2023
One of the key players for Jeppiaar University is FM Ayushh Ravikumar, who has been a major contributor to the team's success. Here’s a moment from one of his games featuring a very unusual defensive move—something I haven't seen before. If you were playing as Black, what would your move be?
Mating puzzles
Can you find the checkmate in two moves that the GM missed?
What would you do here as Black?
Now, let's change sides. White to move:
Let's go for a puzzle with a longer solution. Can you checkmate in three moves as White?
Standings after Round 4 | Division 2
St. Joseph's College of Engineering, DG Vaishnav College, and Xaviers Team A have all got full points so far.
Standings after Round 4 | Division 3
In Division 3, four teams have scored three match victories so far, and it remains to be seen if one of the teams will take the sole lead in the upcoming rounds!
The battle for the top prizes will continue, and we will bring you updates on the next set of rounds soon. You can go to the event's page to follow all the games, results, playing schedule, and more.
The India College Chess Championship is the premier online chess competition for college students in India. It is a team event starting August 22, 2024, and featuring a $15,000 prize fund.
