FM Kavin Mohan Wins the Malaysian Open

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Another Historic Victory for Malaysia

This year’s Open featured 80+ players across Asia and beyond, including top seeds like GM Nguyen Van Huy (Vietnam), IM Zou Chen (China), and a string of high-rated contenders from India, China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Australia, and Uzbekistan. The tournament, played over nine rounds, delivered a relentless display of fighting chess and dramatic upsets.

Kavin led going into the final round after holding GM Nguyen Van Huy to a quick draw, thus ensuring a tiebreak advantage over his chasers. Seeded only 16th at the start, Kavin was unbeaten through six wins and three draws took the crown half a point of his nearest rivals. Not only that the newly minted FIDE Master(FM) earned his 2nd IM Norm here, having got his first IM norm just last month! How’s that for a meteoric rising star!

Position	Player Name	Country	Score
CHAMPION	Kavin, Mohan	MAS	7
2nd Place	Zou, Chen	CHN	6½
3rd Place	Nguyen, Van Huy	VIE	6½
4th Place	Jin, Ruijun	CHN	6½
5th Place	Concio, Michael Jr.	PHI	6½
6th Place	Winkelman, Albert	AUS	6½
7th Place	Nguyen, Quoc Hy	VIE	6½
8th Place	Bacojo, Mark Jay	PHI	6
9th Place	Velarde, Jerish John	PHI	6
10th Place	Nguyen, Duc Hoa	VIE	6
11th Place	Kushagra, Mohan	IND	5½
12th Place	Aakanksha, Hagawane	IND	5½
13th Place	Laxman, R.R.	IND	5½
14th Place	Sebastian, Mhage Gerriahlou	PHI	5½
15th Place	Karthik, Rajaa	IND	5½
16th Place	Liu, Xiangyi	SGP	5½
17th Place	Gireman, Ja	IND	5½
18th Place	Frayna, Janelle Mae	PHI	5½
19th Place	Bancod, Ronald	PHI	5½
20th Place	Andyka, Pitra	INA	5½

Special Awards
Best Malaysian	Wong, Yinn Long	MAS	6½
2nd Best Malaysian	Lye, Lik Zang	MAS	5½
3rd Best Malaysian	Abd Aziz, A Qil A Lauddin	MAS	5½
4th Best Malaysian	Shahar, Uzair	MAS	5
5th Best Malaysian	Shen, Ree Herng	MAS	5
Best Lady	Salimova, Asal	UZB	5½
2nd Best Lady	Imomkuzieva, Nilufarkhon	UZB	5
Best Malaysian Lady	Ainul Fikri, Aqilah Husna	MAS	4½
Best U16	Hong, Mingren	CHN	5½
Best U12	Meiyazhagan, Kaviinayan	KOR	3½

Indians in the Spotlight

The Indian contingent made their mark despite the fierce competition:

• IM Kushagra Mohan (5.5/9) was in contention till the final rounds, bouncing back from challenging pairings.
• WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (5.5/9) took wins against several higher-rated opponents.
• GM Laxman R R and IM Karthik Rajaa (both 5.5/9) maintained top-half finishes, and several other Indian players secured respectable scores in the demanding environment.

A Youth Movement and Women’s Power

Young stars, including Kavin Mohan and Jin Ruijun (China, 2079, 6.5 points), demonstrated that the Malaysian Open continues to be a launchpad for next-generation talents. Among the prominent women, WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (IND), WGM Janelle Mae Frayna (PHI), and WFM Imomkuzieva Nilufarkhon (UZB) kept up the tradition of a gender-diverse leaderboard.

Back-To-Back Malaysian Champions

(the first Malaysian and youngest champion in 2024):

• Malaysia’s chess development, fueled by dedicated organizers and the late Dato’ Tan Chin Nam’s legacy, is inspiring a new wave of homegrown champions.
• The rise of talents like Yu Tian and Kavin reflects years of grassroots work, now producing players who dominate rather than merely participate.

Key Moments 

Kavin seeded only 16 at the start of the tourney scored important wins over IM Kushagra Mohan (IND), FM Wong Yinn Long (MAS), and outlasted top seeds.

Top Indian Results (after 9 rounds):

• IM Kushagra Mohan 5.5 pts, Tiebreak: 48/52
• WIM Aakanksha Hagawane 5.5 pts
• GM Laxman R R 5.5 pts
• IM Karthik Rajaa 5.5 pts
• CM Gireman Ja 5.5 pts

The Legacy and What’s Next

The KL Gateway Mall saw Malaysia’s chess dreams realized once again. As the Open grows in stature, the challenge for Indian hopefuls and Asia’s best only deepens. With the next festival already in planning, eyes will be on whether Malaysia can make it a hat-trick of homegrown champions – and which Indian talents will rise to stamp their mark.

Congratulations to FM Kavin Mohan and all participants. Malaysia’s chess renaissance continues to shine, promising even more drama and breakthroughs in years to come.

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Relevant links:

• [ChessBase India: Poh Yu Tian clinches 19th IGB Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open 2024, Kushagra Mohan second]
• [ChessBase India: Malaysian Chess Festival celebrates its 19th birthday together with Malaysia Day]
• [Chess-Results: 20th Dato Arthur Tan Malaysian Open Final Results]