India's Malayali chess star SL Narayanan wins El Llobregat Open in Barcelona
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Indian Grandmaster S L Narayanan is ending 2023 on a high. On Friday, the 25-year-old from Kerala won both the classic and blitz events at the El Llobregat Open Chess Tournament in Barcelona, Spain.
Narayanan had claimed bronze in the prestigious Qatar Masters Open in October.
In El Llobregat, Narayanan finished with 7.5 points from nine rounds in the clasic event. He remained unbeaten with six wins and sealed the title with a draw against top seed Vladimir Fedoseev in the final round.
In blitz, the Indian GM was in incredible form, finishing on 8 points; his two draws came against Fedoseev in round four and Vugar Asadli in the final round.
El Llobregat has been one of Narayanan's favourite events. He won the inaugural event in the Spanish town in 2019. With his latest triumph, Narayanan has inched closer to the 2700-Elo mark. His live rating is 2694.