Vijayalakshmi stalled at the starting blocks

By P.K. Ajith Kumar

NEW DELHI, NOV. 27. Everyone thought she might have it easy on this wintry, wet Monday afternoon, but she didn't. India's S. Vijayalakshmi, on whom the country's best hopes rest in the women's World championship, lost unexpectedly to Finland's Niina Koskela in the first game of the opening round here on Monday.

But her younger sister, Meenakshi, who is finally showing signs of fulfilling her potential, gave something to cheer about for Chennai's Subbaraman family and India when she held the Russian Woman Grandmaster Elena Zayac, who is some 150 points ahead of her in rating, to a draw with black pieces. Bhagyashree Thipsay, the other Indian woman in the fray, also lost, to Peng Zhoaqin of the Netherlands.

The World Cup champion and fifth seed Xu Yuhua of China was held to a draw by the unfancied Claudia Amura of Argentina, and another higher ranked Chinese woman, Zhu Chen, seeded four, was also forced to split the point with the talented American youngster Irina Krush.

In a surprising result, Vietnam's Hoang Thanh Trang, the eighth seed, was beaten by the girl in form, Viktorija Cmilyte of Lithuania, the 17-year-old gold medal winner of Lithuania at the recent Istanbul Olympiad. The Vietnamese girl lost from a good a position in severe time trouble.

It was time, rather the lack of it, that Vijayalakhsmi did in too. She could complete only 30 moves when she ran out of time. It was far from a losing position; she was in fact a pawn up, having captured the one on d4 seven moves before. But for an unwise pawn move on the 16th, she would have been able to put herself in a strong position in the Giucco Piano game. But it is not all over yet for Viji, as she will play with white pieces on Tuesday. ``I do hope to do well tomorrow,'' said the fighter. Meenakshi, who adopted Grunfeld Defence, did well to force a draw in the minor piece ending after 43 moves. Bhagyashree Thipsay, who opted for her favourite Dutch Defence, after doing reasonably well early in the game, put herself in a vulnerable position with her 16th move.

``I should have played f4 instead of moving the queen to h5,'' she said later. Her end came with Peng sacrifing a rook on the 43rd move. Faced with a mating threat, or a heavy loss of material, the Indian veteran resigned on the 46th move.

Among the day's impressive winners were Romania's Corina Peptan, who defeated Monica Calzetta of Spain in 37 moves of Sicilan Najdorf, and Almira Skripchenko Lautier of Maldova, who beat Genrietta Lagvilava of Germany in 39 moves of closed Sicilian.

lThe results (first round):Pia Cramling (Swe) drew with Nikoleta Lakos (Hun); Elena Zayac (Rus) drew with S. Meenakhi (Ind); Xu Yuhua (Chn) drew with Claudia Amura (Arg); Joanna Dworakoswska (Pol) w/o Geraldine Johns-Putra (Aus); Irina Krush (US) drew with Zhu Chen (Chn); Tatjana Vasilevic (Ukr) bt Nguyen Thi Thanh (Vie); Ekaterina Kovalevskava (Rus) w/o Ela Pitam (Isr); Marta Zielinkskava (Pol) bt Johanne Charest (Can); Peng Zhaoqin (Ned) bt Bhagyashree Thipsay (Ind); Julia Demina (Rus) bt Zahira El Gharbi (Mar); Monica Calzetta (Esp) lost to Corina Peptan (Rom); Nana Ioseliani (Geo) w/o Rusudan Goletiani (Geo); Niina Koskela (Fin) bt S. Vijayalakshmi (Ind); Masha Klinova (Isr) drew with Qin Kanying (Chn); Jennifer Shahade (US) lost to Ketevan Arakhamia-Grant; Lela Javakhishvilli (Geo) lost to Ketino Kachiani-Gersinka (Ger); Joara Chaves (Bra) lost to Maria Manakova (Yug); Genrieta Lagvilava (Blr) lost to Almira Skripchenko-Lautier (Mda); Marany Meyer (Rsa) bt Nino Gurieli (Geo); Viktorija Cmilyte (Lit) bt Hoang Thanh Trang (Vie); Asma Houli (Alg) lost to Rakhil Eidelson (Blr).

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Kunte, Sasikiran draw opening matches
Next     : Corina raring to have a go after layoff