Arianne Caoili Memorial 2025 – Rapid Tournament Report

The Arianne Caoili Memorial Rapid concluded on Sunday at Surfers Paradise, drawing 67 players and a prize pool of $3,200.

Prize Winners

• Equal 1st ($850 each): IM Anish Vivekananthan (6.5/7), GM Zong-Yuan Zhao (6.5/7)

• 3rd ($300): FM Jayden Ooi (6/7)

  

  Equal 1st - IM Anish Vivekananthan (6.5/7), GM Zong-Yuan Zhao (6.5/7)

Rating Prizes

• U1600 ($250/$150 split): Zining (Matthew) Jia, Daniel Woodrow, Ashwin Ramanathan (all 5/7)

• U1200 ($250/$150 split): Brian Yang, Pradeep Murthy, Ethan Wu (all 4/7)

• Best Unrated ($150 split): Aidan McDonald and Cheuk Lun Tang (4/7 each)

• Best Woman ($250): Dahamsa Wickramaarachchi (4.5/7)

  

  Rating Group A U1600 Winners

Rating Group B U1200 Winners

Unrated Winners

Featured Game – Zhao vs Vivekananthan (Round 6)

The pivotal moment of the tournament came in Round 6, when GM Zong-Yuan Zhao faced IM Anish Vivekananthan. The players contested a Nimzo-Indian Three Knights Variation that demanded precision on both sides.

The game saw Zhao pressing on the queenside while Vivekananthan countered in the centre. After a tense struggle, the middlegame simplified, and the players shook hands in a balanced bishop ending after 63 moves. Neither committed a single inaccuracy, mistake, or blunder — both finished on 99% accuracy, with only 4 centipawns average loss.

This draw kept both on track for equal first place, which they secured with wins in the final round. View the game on Lichess Study

Tournament Highlights

• FM Jayden Ooi confirmed his place among Queensland’s best, scoring 6/7 and finishing third.

• Oliver McCarthy (1641) scored 5.5 points and produced one of the upsets of the tournament with a win over FM Jack Rodgers.

• Daniel Woodrow (1529) and Matthew Jia (1333) exceeded expectations in the U1600 section, each scoring 5/7.

• Brian Yang (1089) produced a standout performance in the U1200, holding off stronger opponents to share first place.

The Rapid was a worthy finale to the Arianne Caoili Memorial weekend, combining elite play at the top with upsets and breakthroughs throughout the field.

Thank you for being part of this year’s event, and we hope to see you at our upcoming tournaments.

Full Results:

Blitz https://livechess.aunz.net/GCCC/www2025ArianneCaoiliMemorialBlitz/index.php

Rapid https://livechess.aunz.net/GCCC/www2025ArianneCaoiliMemorialRapid/index.php

Here are all the games from the top 4 boards played in the Rapid event.

https://lichess.org/study/U5eSkbXX