MY KOLKATA EDUGRAPH
ADVERTISEMENT
Regular-article-logo Sunday, 27 April 2025

IRAN TEEANAGER TAMES TOP SEED 

Read more below

BY BIPIN SHENOY Published 07.02.01, 12:00 AM
Calcutta, Feb. 7 :    Calcutta, Feb. 7:  Iranian teenager Eshan Ghaem Maghami caused the biggest upset on Day II of the 12th Goodricke International Open Chess Tournament at Gorky Sadan today, beating Russian top seed GM Andrei Kharlov. Trying hard to force a win from a drawn end game against the Iranian IM, Kharlov went for a tricky manoeuvre but overlooked a knight check and had to pay a heavy price for it. Maghami now leads the field with two points along with five others. Koneru Humpy, Nassir Wajih and Lanka Ravi of India, Buenavent Villamayor of Philippines and Argentina's Maxim Sorokin are the others on two points. Indian IM G.B. Prakash, seeking his third and final GM norm, continued his impressive run with a draw against GM Dimitri Reinderman of Netherlands. He had beaten GM Tomasz Markowski of Poland yesterday. Playing with white pieces, Prakash once again obtained a superior position after the opening in a Queen's Gambit accepted variation. 'When I accepted the draw offer on the 26th move, I was already in a better position. But I was apprehensive about the future of my Bishop on c7 and agreed to split the point,' Prakash said after the match. The champion of Philippines, GM Villamayor, made short work of GM Alexie Barsov of Uzbekistan in a Slav defence. The Filipino won a rook for bishop on the 36th move after which Barshov's had little chance. Asian junior girls' champion IWM Humpy had little difficulty in overcoming B. T. Muralikrishnan in a bishop vs knight ending. Humpy had an extra pawn which she nursed to perfection and finished smoothly. Subbaraman Meenakshi, however, went down to Wajih in 37 moves in a Ruy Lopez opening. National champion, GM Abhijit Kunte of Indian Oil, tought his younger teammate IM Surya Sekhar Ganguly a lesson in 29 moves of a Ruy Lopez opening. Kunte, playing white, broke open Ganguly's king side and forced the king into the open after which it was curtains for the Bengal youngster. Asian junior boys' champion, IM Tejas Bakre of India, drew against GM Dimitri Komarov (2540) of Ukraine in the highly analysed Botvinnik System of the Slav defence in 28 moves. Bakre had drawn against Latvian GM Igor Raussis yesterday. GM Dibyendu Barua obtained an advantage in the opening against IM Nelson Mariano of Philippines but allowed his opponent to equalise in the middle game. He gambled by making a dubious sacrifice on f5. Mariano refused an offer to draw at this stage but it turned out to be fatal as he surrendered soon after. Young Indian IM Pentyala Harikrishna stayed on course for his third and final GM norm with a win over compatriot T.S. Ravi. Harikrishna now has 1.5 points to his credit. IMPORTANT RESULTS IM Ghaem Maghami Eshan (2) bt GM Andrei Kharlov (1); GM Alexie Barsov (1) lost to GM Buenavent Villamayor (2); IM G.B. Prakash (1.5) drew GM Dimitri Reinderman (1.5); GM Maxim Sorokin (2) bt GM Victor Mikhalevski (1); Suvrajit Saha (1) w/o vs IM Lanka Ravi (2); WIM Koneru Humpy (2) bt B.T. Muralikrishnan (1); Nassir Wajih (2) bt S. Meenakshi (1); Rahul Shetty (1.5) drew Lungu Malupande (1.5); Saheli Dhar Barua (1.5) drew C.S. Gokhale (1.5); GM Evegeny Vladimirov (1.5) bt IM Ziaur Rahaman (0.5); GM Abhijit Kunte (1.5) bt IM Surya Sekhar Ganguly (0.5); GM Dimitri Komarov (1) drew IM Tejas Bakre (1); Chito Garma (0.5) lost to GM Normunds Miezis (1.5); GM Igor Raussis (1.5) bt IM Neelotpal Das (0.5); IM P. Konguvel (0.5) lost to GM Joseph Gallagher (1.5); IM P. Harkrishna (1.5) bt T.S. Ravi (0.5); GM Dibyendu Barua (1.5) bt IM Nelson Mariano (0.5). OTHER BENGAL PLAYERS Saheli Dhar Barua (1.5) drew C.S. Gokhale (1.5); Sandipan Chanda (1) bt S. Satyapragyan (0); Jayant Gokhale (1.5) bt Saptarshi Roy (0.5); Arghyadip Das (1) bt Anoori Shah (0); Saheli Nath (0) lost to Oleg Boricsev (1).    
Follow us on:
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT