DUBAI: Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram emerged champion at the 22nd Dubai Open Chess Tournament here on Sunday with a score of 7.5 points while seven Indians finished in the top 10 and R Pragnanandhaan finished joint second with five others. 22-year-old Aravindh Chithambaram and Pragnananda drew in the ninth and final round, leaving Chithambaram half a point ahead of all others.
Former Indian national champion and 13th seed Chithambaram did not face defeat in nine rounds. He won six games and divided points in three. He won over Rinat Zumabayev and in-form compatriot Arjun Arigasi.
Five players scored seven points to finish joint second, including Pragnanand, top seed Alexander Predke, Indians Abhijit Gupta, Jayakumar Samed Shete and S P Sethuraman. Pragnananda recorded four consecutive victories but lost in the fifth round to GM Rinat Zumabayev of Kazakhstan.