The Hindu : Nielsen holds Sasikiran

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jul 12, 2003

Sport

Sport - Chess

Nielsen holds Sasikiran

Esbjerg (Denmark) July 11. Overnight leader Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran of India held GM Peter Heine Nielsen of Denmark to a draw to set the stage for a close finish in the 18th edition of the North Sea Cup international chess tournament here.

With just two more rounds remaining in this 10-players tournament, GM Luke McShane of England joined Sasikiran at the top on 5.5 points after the former crashed through the defences of Danish GM Lars Schandorff.

Half a point adrift of the two leaders is top seed and tournament favourite Alexey Dreev of Russia who outclassed title contender Curt Hansen of Denmark to take his tally to five points. In the last two rounds, Dreev is slated to play Sasikiran and McShane.

Hansen holds the fourth place on four points despite the loss while GMs Michal Krasenkow of Poland, Lenier Dominiguez of Cuba and Nielsen are clubbed in a three-way tie for the fifth spot having three points apiece.

Jointly on eighth place are Cuban Bruzon Lazaro and Schandorff with 2.5 points each while Koneru Humpy, the other Indian in the fray, remained at the bottom of the table with just one point. In the seventh round game, Humpy suffered yet another defeat when she lost to Dominiguez.

Sasikiran's Bird-Larsen opening came as a major surprise for Nielsen. However, the nature of the position remained sluggish for the major part of the game that is usual with the middle game arising out of white's harmless play.

Nielsen, who had won the last Hastings event ahead of Sasikiran, was in no mood for complications as his play indicated in the middle game. Pieces changed hands at regular intervals, leading the position to a level endgame with rooks and minor piece after just 20 moves.

Sasikiran did show his willingness to make a match of it by manoeuvring his knight to the opposition territory but Neilsen's position remained impregnable, thanks to his light-squared Bishop. The game never really left the boundaries of a draw and the peace was signed after 39 moves.

The results: Seventh round: K. Sasikiran (5.5) drew with Peter Heine Nielsen (3); Luke McShane (5.5, Eng) bt Lars Schandorff (2.5, Den); Alexey Dreev (5, Rus) bt Curt Hansen (4, Den); Koneru Humpy (1) lost to Dominiguez Lenier (3, Cub); Michal Krasenkow (3, Pol) drew with Bruzon Lazaro (2.5, Cub). — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Sport