ABHIJIT KUNTE...just 85 Elo points from becoming an International Master.

BHILAI, May 2: It was young Abhijit Kunte's day at the Bhilai Hotel today. The 20-year-old sports trainee with Indian Oil Corporation, Pune, showed excellent temperament and professionalism while hustling through his 13th round game against IM-norm holder Thirumalai Ravi Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSCB) and earned the point that fetched him his second International Master norm. Kunte reached nine points, the target for the category six IM norm and reduced the gap between him and leader Ponnuswamy Konguvel (PSCB) to half a point with two rounds to go in the National `A' Chess Championship here.

Konguvel played a safe draw with seven-time National champion Pravin Thipsay of Bank Sports Board (BSB) and led the field with 9.5 points.

Kunte now has completed his norm requirements for his IM title. He has only to touch a rating of 2,400 in any of the rating lists so that he can apply for the title. If he does so quickly, he will become India's 19th IM, leaving out GMs Anand and Barua and also other IM elects like V Saravanan, Rahul Shetty, Jayant Gokhale and PDS Girinath, who too are waiting to fulfil the rating specification.

On a day when top players preferred to rest taking draws within an hour, Kunte confronted Ravi, who had to win this game to figure in the top bracket. The Bird's Opening favoured Ravi initially but after an unhealthy pawn push on the Kingside, Kunte managed to get a playable position. Then in the middle game, Ravi handed the advantage to Kunte after taking the central Knight with his Queen-pawn. He might have realised soon that he should have taken the pawn with his bishop because he offered a draw to Kunte at this point.

``Initially, I was playing for a draw. But after this capture, I knew I was better. In that position I cannot lose. So I decided to try further and said let us continue for some time,'' said Kunte.

The wrong capture meant that Ravi's bishop had to be out of play for the remainder of the game. Kunte got a commanding posting for his Knight, which tortured Ravi's rooks in the backrank. The end came on move 37 when Kunte sacrificed his knight to uncork a mating attack.

Thipsay did not like a move that he played in the Classical dragon of Sicilian against Konguvel and offered a draw after 13 moves to the PSCB player. Konguvel accepted the offer as he was already well in from in the points table. Thipsay reached eight points and shared the third position with K Murugan (NLC), who agreed for a 11-move draw with teammate Lanka Ravi in 11 moves of Queens Indian Defence.

``As Konguvel is well in front, there is no need to fight for the title. My aim was to come in the top six,'' said Thipsay.

DV Prasad, another former National champion, drew in 13 moves with Ravi Hegde in the Queens Gambit accepted after reaching a symmetrical position. It was Prasad's 11th draw, though it is still short of the record 14 draws that Raja Ravisekhar made in the 1985 National at Tenali from the 17-round event.

MB Muralidharan (Kerala) played attacking chess in the closed Sicilian against V Saravanan (PSCB), who enjoyed a good position initially. By grabbing an exchange for two pawns Saravanan weakened his position and lost in 71 moves.

V Koshy (PSCB) and Girinath (Railways) played a prolonged game in the Modern Defence. Koshy landed in time pressure and lost in 40 moves.

RESULTS

13th round: P Thipsay (BSB) 8 drew with P Konguvel (PSCB) 9.5;,Abhijit Kunte (PSCB) 9 bt TS Ravi (PSCB) 6.5, K Murugan (NLC) 8 drew with Lanka Ravi (NLC) 7, NS Babu (BSB) 4.5 drew with RB Ramesh (PSCB) 7, GB Joshi (Indian Airlines) 3.5 drew with TN Parameswaran (A-I) 5.5, Ravi Hegde (BSB) 7.5 drew with DV Prasad (PSCB) 7.5, V Saravanan (PSCB) 5 lost to MB Muralidharan (Kerala) 4.5, PDS Girinath (Rlys) 5 bt V Koshy (PSCB) 6.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.