Harikrishna inching closer to GM title

LONDON, AUG. 23. Pentyala Harikrishna, the 15-year-old prodigy from Andhra Pradesh, stayed on course to become India's youngest Grandmaster as he drew his fifth round game with fellow Indian, Abhijit Kunte, at the Commonwealth chess championships here.

Harikrishna now shares the lead at four points after the fifth round of the Commonwealth chess championships being held as part of the Ron Banwell Mind Sports Organisation activities here in London. While Harikrishna and Kunte share the lead, four other Indians Dibyendu Barua, Pravin Thipsay, Lanka Ravi and Ponnuswamy Konguvel are in the tie for third to 11th places with 3.5 points each. Neeraj Mishra has three points from five rounds.

Harikrishna, who recently made his third GM norm at the Asian individual championships in Kolkata, needs one more to become India's youngest-ever Grandmaster. The current record is held by Viswanathan Anand, who became a GM at the age of 18 in 1987.

Harikrishna (2522), who beat teammate Konguvel in the fourth round, drew with Kunte quickly and will now meet Colin Crouch in the sixth round. Interestingly, Crouch had lost to Kunte in the third round.

Kunte who beat Neil McDonald in the fourth round will now meet Daniel Gormally in the sixth round. Gormally had lost to Konguvel in the third round. In other sixth round clashes Thipsay will meet Konguvel, while Lanka Ravi meets Sapar Batyrov. Of the seven Indian men playing in the event, only two have managed to score a full point each. Konguvel recovered from his fourth defeat to Harikrishna to score a win against Ihab Salem of Palestine while Neeraj Mishra beat Thomas Rendle in another fifth round game.

On a day when the top four boards produced draws, Dibyendu Barua split the point with Graeme Buckley and Pravin Thipsay drew with Sapar Batyrou of Turkmenistan. Lanka Ravi of India too drew with Colin McNab.

Among the Indian women, only Bhagyashree Thipsay managed a draw against Heather Richards. Bhagyashree had beaten Peter Scott in the previous round and she now has 2.5 points. Saheli Dhar Barua who scored a full point against Peter Szabo in the fourth round lost to Dmitiri Anagnostopoulos of Greece in the fifth round.

The third Indian woman player here, Y Pratibha, who lost to Graeme Buckly in the fourth round, lost again in the fifth round. This time to Meilis Annaberdiev of Turkmenistan.

Positions and points: 1-2 : Harikrishna and Kunte - 4 points each 3-12: Konguvel, Ravi (India) Gormally (England), McNab (Scotland), Buckley (England), Crouch (England), Thipsay, Barua (India), Houska (England), Batyrov (Turkmenistan) 3.5 points each.

Other Indians: Neeraj Mishra (3 points), Saheli Dhar-Barua and Y. Pratibha (2).

Important results (fourth round): Neil McDonald (2.5) lost to Abhijit Kunte (3.5); P. Harikrishna (3.5) bt P. Konguvel (2.5); Oleg KirsaNov (2) lost to Colin McNab (3); Annaberdieu (2) lost to Dibyendu Barua (3); Ihab Salem (3) Bt Dimitri Agnos (2); P.M. Thipsay (3) bt Mark Lyell (2); Jon Friedland (2) lost to Batyrov (3); Lanka Ravi (3) bt Robert Eames (2); Graeme Buckley (3) bt Y. Pratibha (2); Gormally (2.5) bt Neeraj Kumar Mishra (2); Colin Crouch (2.5) bt Simon Warman (1.5); Pattrick Coffey (1.5) lost to Janez Barle (2.5); J Houska (2.5) bt C. Njotea (1.5); Saheli Barua (2.5) bt Peter Szabo (1.5); Alexandra Wilson (1.5) lost to M. Tiruchelvam (2.5); Monodip Dhar (1) lost to Michael Franklin (2); Peter Scott (1) lost to Bhagyashree Thipsay (2).

- UNI & PTI

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