Date:19/11/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/11/19/stories/2008111957862000.htm

Sport - Chess

Saranya wrests sole lead

Arvind Aaron

Chennai: Chennai’s J. Saranya scored a crushing 23-move win over Anjana Krishnan of Kerala to wrest the sole lead in the VIT National under-13 chess championships at Vellore on Tuesday.

Top seed Saranya who emerged a pawn and development ahead after the opening phase won a miniature game with a mating attack to reach 6.5 points.

Four players share the second spot with six points and it includes National under-11 champion Srija Seshadri (TN), Bodda Pratyusha, Cholleti Sahajasri (both AP) and Anjana Krishna (Ker).

In the boys group, Fenil Shah of Ahmedabad held second seed Shiven Khosla of Mumbai to a draw and maintained his half point lead. There are six players closely behind him on six points and it includes the top three seeds, Sahaj Grover, Shiven Khosla, G.V. Sai Krishna and also Karma Pandya, Ajay Srikanth and Yogesh Gautam.

Important results (round seven): Boys: Shiven Khosla (Mah) 6 drew with Fenil Shah (Guj) 6.5, Sahaj Grover (Del) 6 bt D. Yashas (Kar) 5.5, Sai Krishna (AP) 6 bt R. Eswar (AP) 5, Karma Pandya (Guj) 6 bt Anurag Mhamal (Goa) 5, Vishnu Sharon (TN) 5.5 drew with U.R. Sahoo (Ori) 5.5, Ajay Srikanth (TN) 6 bt Shantanu Bhambure (Mah) 5, Yogesh Gautam (Har) 6 bt G. Akash (TN) 5, Chandrasish Majumdar (Ben) 5.5 drew with Deepthamsh Reddy (AP) 5.5, Rishi Thariani (Del) 5.5 bt M. Siddarth (TN) 5.

Girls: Anjana Krishnan (Ker) 6 lost to J. Saranya (TN) 6.5, Priyanka Kumari (Jha) 5.5 drew with Vanessa D’Souza (Kar) 5.5, Ch. Sahajasri (AP) 6 bt Meenu Priya (TN) 5, V. Janu (TN) 5 lost to B. Pratyusha (AP) 6, Srija Seshadri (TN) 6 bt Agnihotri Ghosh (Ben) 4.5, P.V. Nandhidhaa (TN) 5.5 bt J. Vaishnavi (TN) 4.5, G. Lasya (AP) 5.5 bt Nisha Patkar (Kar) 4.5.