Can Kunte handle the pressure ahead?

By Raghunandan Gokhale

MUMBAI, MAY 24. GM Abhijit Kunte (5.5) of Petroleum Sports Control Board faces a tough challenge from experienced Grandmaster Pravin Thipsay (4) of Banks Sports Board in the eighth round, when play resumes on Thursday, after a much needed rest day in the 37th National `A' chess championship. The players devoted their rest day in preparations for their future opponents.

Kunte knows that Thipsay is a dangerous adversary, particularly from the white side. Given a slight chance, Thipsay unleashes powerful attacks as Kunte himself tasted in the National championship two years back. However Thipsay's position in the tournament does not allow him to take risks and he might opt for an early draw.

Twenty three-year old Kunte has Sasikiran, Barua and Thipsay on his trail here. All these GMs are uncompromising fighters and play to win. Psychologically it is difficult to concentrate on your game when you find so many players breathing down your neck. Kunte has produced the most consistent results so far but the main question is - Can he produce the same game for next twelve rounds?

Sasikiran is a player who spends lot of energy over the board. The young prodigy from Chennai has unlimited patience and he stalks his rival till the latter commits a mistake under pressure. He let Barua off the hook and took too many chances against Kunte but it is this spirit which has kept him within striking distance of leader Kunte.

Top seeded Barua started with a couple of brilliant wins but was later engulfed in a stream of draws. His win over Thipsay in the seventh round must have brought the Calcutta genius in the right frame of mind for the second part of the championship.

Pravin Thipsay is the player who has managed to win the championship for seven times in his distinguished career. He had achieved the results in many different ways - some times dominating the field, leaving the second placed player miles behind, while sometimes struggling in the initial rounds only to finish the race with a string of victories in the end.

Though he is one and half point behind leader Kunte, he can win anytime and against anybody. Particularly he is decisive in the last part of the championship.

The young brigade has failed to impress so far. The tension, expectation and disappointments have taken their toll on the teenagers. National `B' champion Suryasekhar Ganguly scored his first victory only in the seventh round while the 17-year old Kidambi has slipped to fifth position after initial burst of victories.

The stage is now set for the most crucial part of the championship which can make or break the careers of the top Indian players.

Meanwhile, there may be one seat for the National champion in the World chess championship to be held in New Delhi from November 25. ``Just watching the championship would be an experience,'' exclaimed Abhijit Kunte, who knows that he is closest to that seat at this moment. A first round loser gets $ 6000 and the champion is richer by more than $ 7,00,000.

Former World champion Mikhail Botwinnik once said that playing under the tensions of World championship reduces the participants' age by at least ten years. However the Maestro who was involved in seven World championship matches added in the same breath,`` But which chess player would not give up those years to play in the World championships?``. GM Barua is expected to get direct entry as the winner of the last Zonals.

The players are mainly eyeing the World Chess Olympiad to be played at Istanbul (Turkey) later this year. The six-member team, if joined by Anand will have an excellent chance to finish in top ten. The top five players here are assured a trip to Istanbul while the sixth will get a nod only if Anand decides not to play. More than 100 teams from all over the World play in the Olympiad held every alternate year and it is usually dominated by the Russians.

Pairings for the eighth round: S. Kidambi (TN) 3.5 vs P. Harikrishna (AP) 2.5; Sriram Jha (LIC) 3.5 vs S.S. Ganguly (GNCA) 2; V. Sarvanan (PSCB) 3.5 vs S. Chanda (GNCA) 2.5; Pravin Thipsay (BSB) 4 vs Abhijit Kunte (PSCB) 5.5; Neelotpal Das (GNCA) 2.5 vs Dibyendu Barua (Tisco) 4.5; Ravi Hegde (BSB) 2.5 vs D.V. Prasad (PSCB) 3.5; Lanka Ravi (PSCB) 2.5 vs Atanu Lahiri (LIC) 2; K. Murugan (NLC) 2.5 vs G.B. Prakash (BSB) 3; T.S. Ravi (PSCB) 4.5 vs Vishal Sareen (LIC) 3.5; K. Sasikiran (PSCB) 5 - Bye

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Next     : Shirov & Kasparov in lead