Date:22/10/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/10/22/stories/2007102260782100.htm

Sport - Chess

Hari Krishna last

NEW DELHI: P. Hari Krishna had a dismal finish to his campaign in the Blindfold World Cup chess tournament when he lost the last two rounds to finish last in the six-player double round-robin event in Bilbao, Spain, on Saturday.

Champion Bu Xiangzhi of China blanked Hari 2-0 in the fourth round before Ukraine’s Sergey Karjakin took the runner-up spot by scoring a similar victory in the final round.

Bu Xiangzhi won the title with 21 points, Karjakin was second with 17 while Hari was last with six. This championship offered three points for a win and one for a draw.

The results (fifth round):

Sergey Karjakin (Ukr) bt P. Hari Krishna 2-0; Bu Xiangzhi (Chn) drew with Judit Polgar 1-1; Magnus Carlsen (Nor) bt Veselin Topalov (Bul) 1.5-0.5; (fourth round): Bu Xiangzhi bt Hari 2-0; Carlsen bt Judit 1.5-0.5; Karjakin drew with Topalov 1-1.

Final standings: 1. Bu Xiangzhi (21 points); 2. Karjakin (17), 3. Carlsen (16), 4. Judit (12), 5. Topalov (9), 6. Hari (6).