CANDIDATE Master (CM) Manoj Kumar has claimed victory at the FWCC Fiji National Chess Championship 2025, which concluded on Sunday after five days of competitive play at the University of the South Pacific’s (USP) Laucala Campus in Suva.
The national event, proudly sponsored by the Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre (FWCC), featured Fiji’s top chess players across four categories: Open, Women’s, Secondary School, and Primary School.
In the overall tournament, CM Manoj Kumar dominated with 8/9, ahead of joint runners-up CM Goru Arvind and CM Rudr Prasad, both finishing on 7/9.
Lionel Vaurasi of Yat Sen Primary School impressed with his performance against senior players, finishing fourth with 6.5/9.
In the Women’s Category, WCM Tanvi Prasad took first place with 6.5/9, followed by Useli Herath and Vimansa Dissanayake, both scoring 5/9.
The Secondary School Category saw Ayaan Chand (JNC) take top honours on tie-break from Rajartha Weerasekara (JNC) and Praveer Singh (MBHS), all finishing on 6/9.
In the Primary School Category, Yanick Khatri (Yat Sen Primary) claimed first place with 5/9, followed by Chanuga Aponsu (MGM Primary) and Blake Lee-Jamnadas (Kids First Primary School).
The Best Upset Award went to Peter Ricardo from the West for his victory over a senior player 1739 rating points higher than him.
Fiji Chess Federation President Hilda Kunau congratulated all players and expressed gratitude to FWCC for their ongoing support.
“This year’s National Championship showcased not only the strength of Fiji’s top players but also the promising depth of our juniors and women’s divisions,” Kunau said.
“We are grateful to FWCC for continuing to support the growth of chess across all age groups.”
The event concluded with an awards ceremony celebrating five days of competitive spirit and sportsmanship.
