Sahaj Grover retains SA Open title

Sahaj won the first five rounds, drew with Cawdrey and seventh seed Roland Bezuidenhout in succession, before finishing strongly with four straight victories.

Sahaj Grover. (File Photo)

Defending champion Sahaj Grover retained the South Africa Open chess title with a commanding performance on Monday.

The top seeded Grandmaster scored 10 points from 11 rounds during his unbeaten campaign. Sahaj finished a point clear of runner-up Daniel Cawdrey, the highest rated player in South Africa.

Sahaj won the first five rounds, drew with Cawdrey and seventh seed Roland Bezuidenhout in succession, before finishing strongly with four straight victories.

For his efforts, Sahaj received the winner’s share of 11,000 rands (Rs, 57,000 approx.) in addition to the 2,000 rands (Rs. 10,400 approx) for finishing runner-up in the blitz section.