Date:18/09/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/09/18/stories/2007091861502000.htm

Sport - Chess

No sweat for four teams

Manuel Aaron

CHENNAI: Four teams swept to 4-0 victories in the first round of the Rajalakshmi Engineering College 17th Tamil Nadu State team chess championship at the Rajalakshmi Engineering College situated at Thandalam on the Bangalore Highway here on Monday.

The four teams were Indian Bank, Integral Coach Factory, Velammal ‘A’ and Thoothukudi. Fourteen teams are playing in this five round Swiss system tournament which ends on September 20 when the Tamil Nadu blitz championship would also be held.

Southern Railway, with International Master D.P. Singh on the second board, scored a 3.5-0.5 win over Velammal ‘B’. Chennai had an identical score against Bhajarang Engineering College.

Of the seven International Masters in this event, two of them — S.P. Sethuraman and M. Shyam Sundar — are playing on the top boards for Velammal ‘A’.

Velammal school boy N. Surendran had the distinction of taking half-a-point from Southern Railway’s top board Preetham Sharma, a National ‘A’ player.

Dr. Mrs. Thangam Meganathan, the chairperson of Rajalakshmi Engineering College, inaugurated the championship.

The results (first round): Velammal ‘B’ 0.5 lost to Southern Railway 3.5; Indian Bank 4 bt Kanchi 0; Velammal C 0 lost to ICF 4; Velammal ‘A’ 4 bt Rajalakshmi Engineering College 0; Alpha College 0 lost to Thoothukudi 4; Chennai District 3.5 bt Bhajarang Engineering College 0.5; Dharmapuri: bye.