Huang stuns Vijayalakshmi; Aarthie shocks Zhao

By Arvind Aaron

CHENNAI, SEPT. 5. Untitled Chinese chess player, Huang Qain shocked favourite and woman Grandmaster Vijayalakshmi Subbaraman to sail into sole lead with maximum points after four rounds of the 9th India Cements Asian Women's chess championship here at Hotel Taj Connemara on Wednesday.

Huang Qain is on four points from four rounds and is followed in second place by International Woman Master Nisha Mohota with 3.5 points. Former World under-18 girls' champion Aarthie Ramaswamy scored an upset victory over WGM Zhao Xue to take three points. She shares the third place with Vijayalakshmi, Sergeeva Maria (Kaz) and Wang Yu (Chn).

In general, Indians had a good fourth round winning six, losing three and drawing two games. The loss at the top board was a vital blow for the home nation which still has plenty of hopes of a Vijayalakshmi victory in the event.

Vijayalakshmi lost playing uncharacteristically with the black pieces in a Reti opening. In a position requiring hard defence, she sacrificed a pawn on move 24 to allow a deadly pawn shatter on her king side. White used this dent to win a knight. When black lost her rook she resign instantly on move 32 and sped towards her room. Strangely, the winner, Hoang Qain also left the hall instantly after her game and must have gone to celebrate or call home. The last eight moves of Vijayalakshmi undid her good performance of the first three games in the meet.

The second table game between Sergeeva Maria of Kazakhstan and Li Ruofan of China reminded one that it was a qualifying tournament as they shared points and were in no mood to harm each other's interests. The draw they agreed was after 21 moves from a level Berlin defence opening from the Ruy Lopez. The Chinese player sat behind the black pieces and normally it is good to draw a game with the black pieces.

Nisha humbles Khegay

Nisha Mohota's victory was quick as she humbled her Uzbek rival with ease in 33 moves with the black pieces from a Dutch defence game. Anjela Khegay's pawn sacrifice on move ten was a blunder in effect and black won without giving white a chance in this game where both sides did not castle. Nisha who won as many as four pawns, sacrificed her rook to finish with a brilliant tactical stroke.

``She played badly,'' Nisha Mohota said but did not exactly mean that white came for the game with more confidence than what was required.

Wang Yu of China won a marathon 104-move encounter with the white pieces against Elena Levushkina of Uzbekistan to move ahead to third place with three points. Using a tiny advantage of an advanced pawn in a queen and bishop ending, the Chinese won the game which had the longest duration among the 60 games that were played so far.

Aarthie showed WGM Zhao Xue no respect and punished her weak eighth move in the French defence, Tarrasch variation with a crisp attacking victory in just 25 moves. The weak pawn move was a serious commitment and the Chennai collegian went on to win by parking her rook in the heart of black's position and threatening mate which was inevitable.

Both the Vietnamese players won their fourth round games and are playing at a handicap. They are yet to receive their checked in baggage. They arrived on Sunday but their bags couldn't keep pace with them. They checked their baggage through to Chennai from their home country but did not do the customs check in Delhi.

Le Kieu Thien Kim of Vietnam tamed her Zhang Jilin of China to defeat in 67 moves with the black pieces from an Alekhine defence. The Vietnamese showed that rook and two pawns against two knights is winning material by winning artistically.

The second Vietnamese player, Nguyen Thi Thanh An also won with the black pieces playing the Caro-Kann defence in 44 moves against China's Yu Ting.

Iroda Khamrakulova of Uzbekistan salvaged a draw from higher rated Meenakshi Subbaraman with the white pieces from a Petroff's defence game in 43 moves and made sure that not all from her country would lose in a single round.

Three Indians, including the 1991 winner Bhagyashree Thipsay, two-time winner Anupama Gokhale and Swati Ghate were on the recovery road on Wednesday defeating their Bangladesh opponents. Bhagyashree won easily in 31 moves with the white pieces against the French defence of Afroza Khanam after opening up the centre. Anupama Gokhale had a long endgame victory over Zakia Sulthana with the black pieces.

Swati Ghate on whom pre-tournament hopes were on to pick up a qualifying berth won in style. Her confidence was back as she won in 46 moves with the Yugoslav attack against the Sicilian dragon.

Eleven-year old Dronavalli Harika made sure that none of the woman grandmasters won today by holding WGM Mekhri Geldeyeva of Turkmenistan to a creditable 40-move draw with the black pieces.

The 2300 rated Gu Xiaobling of China defeated 2248 rated Saheli Barua in 40 moves with the white pieces to move to 2.5 points.

In the battle which decided the Sri Lankan supremacy, the older Vineetha Wijesuriya prevailed defeating teenaged Anupama Konara in 34 moves with the white pieces from a Slav defence game.

Seven rounds remain to be played in this $2,000 first prize tournament. The top ten will advance to the world chess championship for women at Moscow from November 24 this year. Two rounds are slated for Thursday.

lThe results (fourth round): Huang Qain (Chn) 4 bt S.Vijayalakshmi (Ind) 3, Sergeeva Maria (Kaz) 3 drew with Li Ruofan (Chn) 2.5, Anjela Khagay (Uzb) 2 lost to Nisha Mohota (Ind) 3.5, Wang Yu (Chn) 3 bt Elena Levushkina (Uzb) 2, Aarthie Ramaswamy (Ind) 3 bt Zhao Xue (Chn) 2, Iroda Khamrakulova (Uzb) 2.5 drew with S.Meenakshi (Ind) 2.5, Zhang Jilin (Chn) 1.5 lost to Le Kieu Thien Kim (Vie) 2.5, Gu Xiaobling (Chn) 2.5 bt Saheli Barua (Ind) 1.5, Mekhri Geldeyeva (Trk) 2 drew with D.Harika (Ind) 2, Yu Ting (Chn) 1.5 lost to Nguyen Thi Thanh An (Vie) 2.5, Swati Ghate (Ind) 2 bt Nazrana Khan (Ban) 1, Zakia Sulthana (Ban) 1 lost to Anupama Gokhale (Ind) 2, Bhagyashree Thipsay (Ind) 2 bt. Khanam Afroza Bably (Ban) 1, M.Kasturi (Ind) 1 lost to Y.Prathiba (Ind) 2, Vineetha Wijesuriya (Sri) 1 bt. Anupama Konara (Sri) 0.5, Rani Hamid (Ban) 1.5 - bye.

The moves:

Huang Qian-WGM S.Vijayalakshmi, round four, Reti opening, A05: 1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 b6 3.Bg2 Bb7 4.0-0 e6 5.d3 d5 6.Nbd2 Be7 7.Re1 0-0 8.c3 Nbd7 9.Qc2 a5 10.Nf1 Qc8 11.h3 Rd8 12.g4 c5 13.Bg5 Nf8 14.Ng3 h6 15.Bd2 Ng6 16.Qc1 e5 17.e4 c4 18.exd5 Nxd5 19.Nxe5 Nxe5 20.Rxe5 Bf6 21.Re1 cxd3 22.Nf5 h5 23.Bg5 hxg4 24.hxg4 d2 25.Qxd2 Qc4 26.Bxf6 gxf6 27.Re4 Qc5 28.Qh6 Qf8 29.Qxf8+ Kxf8 30.Rd4 Bc6 31.Rad1 Nf4 32.Rxd8+ 1-0.

IWM Aarthie Ramaswamy-WGM Zhao Xue, round four, French defence, Tarrasch variation, C05: 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 Nf6 4.e5 Nfd7 5.c3 c5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.Ngf3 g6 8.h4 cxd4 9.cxd4 f5 10.exf6 Nxf6 11.Nf1 Qb6 12.Ng3 Bb4+ 13.Kf1 Bd7 14.Bg5 Be7 15.Rc1 Nb4 16.Bb1 Nxa2 17.Bxa2 Qa6+ 18.Kg1 Qxa2 19.Ne5 Qa5 20.h5 Rg8 21.hxg6 hxg6 22.Qf3 Qd8 23.Rh7 Rf8 24.Qd3 Rg8 25.Rh8 1-0.

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