Candidate Master (CM) Manoj Kumar slipped past a 4-way tie with CM Goru Arvind, CM Calvin Prasad and CM Ronald Terubea to clinch the Rajnesh Parmeshwar Memorial Rapid Open with 4/5.

All four players dropped a game each against one of the others to create a thrilling finish.

“It was one of the most competitive tournaments in recent times,” deputy arbiter Gaurav Raicar said.

“At the end of five rounds, we had four leaders on the board in the form of Manoj, Goru, Calvin and Ronald and it came down to a tie-break system to decide their final positions.”

Arvind edged Prasad for second place in the Elite Division’s Open category. Terubea finished fourth.

Under-20 National champion Tianata Terubea continued his winning form by top-scoring in the Elite Division’s Junior category with 3/5.

He will represent Fiji at the 2015 Oceania Zonal Chess Championship with Prasad, Gloria Sukhu, Sugandha Goswami and CM Noel Adricula on July 3-8.