Monday, May 13, 2002
Monday, May 13, 2002 |
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Chess
By Rakesh Rao
S. Meenakshi (left) making a move during her drawn 12th round game against Tania Sachdev in the women's National `A' chess championship at Lucknow on Sunday. — Photo: R.V. Moorthy
In fact, Vijayalakshmi could have been sure of the title with a round to spare had Eesha Karavade not lost from a seemingly draw position against Aarthie Ramaswamy in the 12th round. For the record, Vijayalakshmi, who drew with Aarthie in 94 moves on Sunday morning, has 8.5 points. Aarthie is next with 7.5 points. Aarthie, at best, can tie for the title provided she wins her final round match against Safira Shanaz and Vijayalakshmi loses to Saheli Dhar-Barua. But considering the stakes and Vijayalakshmi's unbeaten run, such a scenario is difficult to imagine. Since S. Meenakshi and Saheli are in contention for a place in the four-member women's Olympiad team, Vijayalakshmi cannot be expected to be happy with a draw in the final round. Vijayalakshmi is sure to go all out against Saheli in a bid to help Meenakshi's cause. Assuming that Vijayalakshmi and Aarthie will be part of the Olympiad squad, the race for the remaining two spots is still very much hot. Swati Ghate, who had a 12th round bye, and Harika Dronavalli are on seven points each, half-a-point more than Saheli and Meenakshi. With four players already in with a chance to grab the two available berths, one-time leader Bhagyashree Thipsay finds herself almost out of contention following a dramatic loss to Dolan Champa Bose this evening. It was indeed ironical that before Bhagyashree lost to the weakest player in the field, her husband Pravin Thipsay had tamed all 10 challengers in a simultaneous display. In fact, Dolan's surprise victory was the most unexpected result of the evening. For the Jamshedpur-girl, this match was her last chance to post a victory in the championship since she was due to get a bye in the final round on Monday. With Bhagyashree being forced to trade her trapped queen for a rook and knight, Dolan's hopes rose and she went on to taste victory in this French Defence game in 38 moves. Like Dolan, five-time champion Anupama Gokhale, too, scored her maiden win in the championship at the expense of Safira Shanaz. For Meenakshi, it was quite a frustrating day. In the morning, after looking poised for a probable win against Swati, she had to settle for a draw. In the evening, Meenakshi allowed Tania Sachdev to wriggle out of a difficult situation and force a comfortable draw. Tania, after suffering three straight losses, defeated Safira in the morning after winning a minor piece early in the game. In fact, for Safira, it was another forgettable day. After losing a piece and the game to Tania, she did just that against Anupama. Saheli, desperately seeking victories in order to stay in contention for a place in the National side, was lucky to beat Dolan in the morning. However, against Harika, she had to settle for a draw. Harika, in turn was extremely lucky against Sai Meera in the morning. After being two pawns down, Harika still managed to force Meera to force draw by perpetual checks. The results: 12th round: Tania Sachdev (4.5) drew with S. Meenakshi (6.5); Anupama Gokhale (3.5) bt Safira Shanaz (2); Aarthie Ramaswamy (7.5) bt Eesha Karavade (5); Sai Meera (4.5) lost to S. Vijayalakshmi (8.5); Saheli Barua (6.5) drew with Harika Dronavalli (7); Bhagyashree Thipsay (6) lost to Dolan Champa Bose (3.5); Swati Ghate (7) bye. 11th round: Dolan lost to Saheli; Harika drew with Sai Meera; Vijayalakshmi drew with Aarthie; Eesha bt Anupama; Safira lost to Tania; Meenakshi drew with Swati; Bhagyashree bye. Monday's pairings (13th and final round): Harika-Bhagyashree; Vijayalakshmi-Saheli; Eesha-Sai Meera; Safira-Aarthie; Meenakshi-Anupama; Swati-Tania; Dolan bye.
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