Date:07/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/07/stories/2008110761081800.htm

Sport - Chess

Karthikeyan continues to lead

Sports Reporter

TADEPALLIGUDEM: Tamil Nadu’s P. Karthikeyan consolidated his lead by logging 5.5 points from six rounds in the 38th National junior and 23rd National junior girls’ chess championship here on Wednesday.

Karthikeyan outplayed International Master M.R. Lalith Babu of Andhra Pradesh in a one-sided encounter in the sixth round.

Playing white, Karthikeyan opted for Queen’s Indian defence and managed an early advantage. Lalith, who lost a piece on the 17th move, bowed out tamely.

Trailing behind the leader is Tamil Nadu’s B. Adhiban with five points. In the girls section, Maharashtra’s Sowmya Swaminathan scored two wins to increase her points tally to six.

Important results: Boys: Sixth round: P. Karthikeyan (TN) 5.5 bt M.R. Lalith Babu (AP) 4.5; T.U. Navin Kumar (TN) 4 lost to B. Adhiban (TN) 5; M. Shyam Nikhil (TN) 4.5 drew with Anvesh Upadhyaya (Ori) 4.5; R. Arun Karthik (TN) 4.5 drew with T. Abhay (TN) 4.5; K. Priyadharshan (TN) 4.5 drew with Akshat Khamparia (MP) 4.5; V.A.V. Rajesh (TN) 4.5 drew with D. Das (Ori) 4.5; Swapnil (Mah) 4 drew with R. Premnath (TN) 4.5; Shreyansh Jain (Chhattisgarh) 4 drew with S.P. Sethuraman (TN) 4; Aniruddha Deshpande (Mah) 3.5 lost to M. Shyam Sundar (TN) 4.5; S. Nitin (TN) 4 drew with Vedprakash (Bih) 4. Fifth round: Adhiban 3.5 drew with Karthikeyan 4.5; Lalith Babu 4 bt Vishnu Prasanna (TN) 3.5; Khamparia 4 drew with Nikhil 4; Premnath 4 drew with Arun Karthik 4; Shyam Sundar 3.5 drew with Navin Kumar 4; Upadhyaya 4 bt Ashwin Jayaram (TN) 3; N. Srinath (TN) 3 lost to Rajesh 4; D. Atul (Mah) 3.5 drew with Swapnil Dhoade (Mah) 3.5; Daklia Jain (Chhattisgarh) 3.5 drew with S. Nitin (TN) 3.5; Sahaj Grover (Del) 3 lost to Priyadharshan (TN) 4.

Girls: Sixth round: Ch. Divyasri (AP) 4.5 lost to Sowmya Swaminathan (Mah) 6; Padmini Rout (Ori) 5 bt N. Raghavi (TN) 3.5; P. Uthra (TN) 4.5 drew with Tejaswini Reddy (AP) 4; Meenu Rajendran (Kel) 4 drew with Kiran Manisha (Ori) 4; R. Preethi (TN) bt P.K. Jayashree (TN) 3.5; Devangi (Mah) 4.5 bt Hinduja Reddy (AP) 3.5; Ch. Savetha (TN) 4 drew with Mithali (Mah) 4; J. Saranya (TN) 3.5 drew with B. Pratyusha (AP) 4; S. Harini (TN) 4 Satya Sai Pravalika (AP) 3; Hema Priya (TN) 3.5 drew with Karthikeyini (TN) 3.5. Fifth round: Soumya 5 bt Preethi 3.5; Padmini 4 drew with Uthra 4; Divyasri 4.5 bt Harini 3; Pratyusha 4 drew with Savetha 3.5; Kiran Manisha 3.5 bt Saranya 3; Raghavi 3.5 bt G. Nagachandrika (AP) 3.5; Aparajita (Ori) 2.5 lost to Devangi 3.5; Mithali 3.5 bt Sathya Priya (TN) 2.5; Tejaswini 3.5 bt A. Akshaya (TN) 2.5. Jayashree 3.5 bt Surbhi Kumari (Bih) 2.5.