No stopping Sangeetha

By Manuel Aaron

TIRUNELVELI, JUNE 6. M.R. Sangeetha of Chennai widened her lead to 1.5 points in the ABT, Rm. K.V. sponsored 26th Tamil Nadu State women's chess championship when the sixth round concluded this afternoon at Sri Sarada College for Women here. With three more rounds left, Sangeetha has scored all the six possible points so far. She is followed 1.5 points behind by three players, R. Mahima of Madurai, Pazha Sivakame of Sivagangai and P. Priya of Chennai. Sangeetha, who won this championship two years ago at Chennai, has already played most of her closest rivals. In the seventh round she will be taking on T.T. Lakshmipriyaa the State junior girls champion who has four points only.

With the black pieces Sangeetha played the sharp Pelikan variation in the Sicilian against the National under-14 girls champion Nabeela Farheen. In a fluid middle-game position white had a very slight advantage though she kept her king in the centre. Sangeetha patiently defended her position, exchanged queens and slowly brought her pieces into the attack. The white king was caught on its home base with the two unconnected rooks on either side of the king. The final mating pattern that Sangeetha wove with her rook knight and bishop was pretty, specially as it offered a rook for free.

Kasturi played the same line in the Philidor defence which she used against Nilavoli in the previous round. But this time her opponent, Mahima, came well prepared. When Kasturi essayed a bold but unwise pawn push on the king-side, Mahima took advantage, forcing the pawn to advance further and become just dead wood. When the white square bishops were exchanged off Kasturi had a bad bishop hemmed in by its own pawns. Mahima used her wits to allow the exchange of this bad bishop and in return got her queen into black's backyard. The uncastled black king needed all the help to stay alive. Kasturi lost two pawns and was hopeful of recovering one of them. But on the 41st move Mahima made a brilliant pawn offer which forced her opponent's resignation. Accepting the pawn would have led to the loss of a rook for a knight.

On the third table H. Nilavoli of Chennai had a very difficult six hours against Sivagangai's Pazha Sivakame. Nilavoli mishandled the middle-game arising from an early exchange of queens in the Alekhine defence and was all the while struggling to complete the development of her pieces. Sivakame kept up relentless pressure right into a rook and minor piece ending.

lLeading scores: 1: M.R.Sangeetha 6; 2-4: P.Priya, R.Mahima, P. Sivakame 4.5; 5-8: C.V.Rajalakshmi, Isaiamudhu, T.T.Lakshmipriyaa, M.Kasturi 4.

lResults: (round six): Nabeela 3.5 lost to Sangeetha 6; R.Mahima 4.5 bt M.Kasturi 4; P.Sivakame 4.5 bt H.Nilavoli 3.5; P.Priya (Che) 4.5 bt P.Malarselvi (Che) 3.5; C.V.Rajalakshmi (Kan) 4 bt P.N.Harini (Che) 3.5; H.Isaiamudhu (Che) 4 bt J.Rajasurya (Mdu) 3; R.Varsha (Mdu) 3 lost to T.T.Lakshmipriyaa 4; Beulah Alagammal 3.5 bt K.Radhika (Tvlr) 2.5; N.Janani Priya 2.5 lost to H.Praja Devi (Tvli) 3.5; G.Sasikala (Vir) 2.5 drew G.Dharanya (Mdu) 2.5; R.Janani (Kan) 2 lost to R.Sushmitha (Che) 3; S.Harini (Che) 2 lost to Aneeqha Tahseen 3; H.Niranjana Devi (Tvli) 3 bt A.Chudar (Tvli) 1; G.Sowmya (Mdu) 2 drew A.Sowjanya (Kan) 1.5; Shilpa Gnanamuthu (Tvli) 1 lost to Malarvizhi Hariharan (TNTCA) 2.

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