With three months of the annual competition completed, we publish the first leader-board in the 2025 contest. With two scores in the 70s to go with his perfect 80/80 in the February competition, the early leader is India’s Venkatesh Ramaratnam
Based in Bengaluru, India, Venkatesh took early retirement from the IT industry. He began playing 30+ years ago, and represented India in the World Junior Championships in the late 90s. He has subsequently won numerous national titles, and he has performed numerous roles including coach, commentator, director and administrator. Venkatesh finished seventh in the 2024 annual competition.
There are also plenty of other familiar names on this early leader-board. Dave Williams and Paul Boudreau finished second and third in the 2024 competition. Stephen Merriman, Brian Spears, Todd Holes, Alexander Cook and Paul Dubois all made the Top 10 last year. Dror Alexrod was also a monthly winner in 2024.
Chasing the leaders, only eight points separate ninth place from 25th. Reflecting the international nature of this competition, 13 countries are represented in the Top 25. USA leads the way with seven competitors, followed by the UK with five. India, Romania and Australia each have two members of the Top 25. Notable absentees from this early leader-board are Canadians and South Americans.
The annual score is the total of the best 9 monthly scores over the year.
