VS Rathanvel entered the Ayodhana International and Guwahati Smart City Open rated at 2492, utilizing zero-point byes to systematically face lower-rated opponents and secure small rating increments. Although over 400 other participants received updated ratings, Rathanvel's games were entirely excluded, and his opponents were credited with one fewer rated game. The omission left his rating below the 2500 benchmark required to finalize the Grandmaster title he had pursued for four years. Rathanvel stated he remained uncertain why the exclusion occurred after receiving no satisfactory explanation from chess authorities.
Key points
Regulatory decisions by governing bodies prevented Rathanvel from officially reaching the…: Regulatory decisions by governing bodies prevented Rathanvel from officially reaching the required 2500 rating threshold.
FIDE regulations allow authorities to reject results if tournament conditions are manipul…: FIDE regulations allow authorities to reject results if tournament conditions are manipulated to benefit specific players.
Opponents who faced Rathanvel were credited on the official rating list with one fewer ga…: Opponents who faced Rathanvel were credited on the official rating list with one fewer game than contested.
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NEW DELHI: Last July, the congratulations arrived all at once. Reports and chess pages across India carried the same news that VS Rathanvel, a 25-year-old from Coimbatore, had crossed 2500 at the Guwahati Smart City International Open and become the country's 99th Grandmaster (GM). It looked as if his four-year wait had just ended.
Rathanvel had finished his norms by 2022. What he lacked was a FIDE standard rating of 2500. Throughout this period, he had been stuck in the high 2490s, and by his own count had reached the edge of 2500 "probably 3-4 times".
"You know that feel where you know you're worthy of it, but somehow you're not still getting there,"
Rathanvel had told TimesofIndia.com after what he, along with many others, believed would be the moment he finally secured the GM title.
Then, the August rating list came out, and surprisingly, his rating hadn't improved. With his rating still below 2500, Rathanvel was still not a Grandmaster.
What went wrong?
In the month of July, Rathanvel, rated 2492 at that time, had gone to Assam, needing…
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