Viji, Bhagyashree suffer setbacks

Viji, Bhagyashree suffer setbacks
LEELADHAR SINGH

SANGLI, FEB 23: Women International Masters S Vijayalaxshmi and Bhagyashree Thipsay, both in line to become country's first Women Grand Masters, suffered a major setback in the second round of the Commonwealth Chess Championship at the Krishna Valley Complex on Tuesday.

Viji, who has a bright chance of reaching the coveted title first after having already earned her third and final WGM Norm, and requiring to complete a nine-game norm formality here, lost to defending champion Atanu Lahiri. She faced a mate after 37 moves of Nimzo Indian defence Rubinstein variation.

Atanu broke Viji's defence into pieces by sacrificing two of his minor pieces for the black's outside passed pawn and a rook. Viji, who has been playing for more than a month now, this being her fourth without a break, missed many chances.

Yet another WGM hopeful Bhagyashree Thipsay, who is running for her third WGM norm, lost to Ravi Kumar of Raipur (Madhya Pradesh) in the Caro-Kann defence. For both players, the defeats would prove crucial particularly in this kind of tourney, where losing a round pushes a player down to lower boards and thus maintaining the category becomes difficult.

Meanwhile, IM Anup Deshmukh (India) staged an upset win -- from a near loosing position -- against Uzbekistan GM Yuldashev Saidali from the black pieces. Anup, being an exchange down and in an inferior position in the middle game, brought his pieces into action and fought to force Yuldashev to resign in 70 moves.

India's fifth GM prospect, 20-year-old Krishnan Sasikiran (1.5), opted to play safe, settling for a 17-move draw against No 4 GM Maxim Sorokin (1.5) of Argentina. The country's latest GM elect Abhijit Kunte (1.5) held GM Alexan Goloshchapov (1.5) of Russia with black pieces in the Sicilian defence Scavininder system.

The Russian GM sacrificed his queen for a couple of Abhijit's rooks, but could not manage to get any advantage out of it, where the game headed to a drawish position.

Indian GM Dibyendu Barua also recorded a win against Bangladesh's IM Reefat Bin-Sattar to be among the 12 joint leaders.

IMPORTANT RESULTS (2ND ROUND)Ø

GM Andrei Charilla (Rus, 1.5) drew GM Fominih Aleksander (Rus, 1.5); GM Leonid Yurtaev (Kry, 2) bt GM Ibragimov Ildar (Rus, 1); GM Evegeny Vladimirov (Kaz, 2) bt GM Safin Shurat (Uzb, 1); IM K Sasikiran (Ind, 1.5) drew GM Maxim Sorokin (Arg, 1.5); GM Alexan Goloshchapov (Rus, 1.5) drew IM Abhijit Kunte (Ind, 1.5); GM Dibyendu Barua (Ind, 2) bt IM Reefat Bin-Sattar (Ban, 1); Jayant Gokhale (Ind, 2) bt WFM Saheli Dhar-Barua (Ind, 1); Deepan Chakravarthy (Ind, 1.5) drew WIM Swati Ghate (Ind, 1.5); Ravi Kumar (Ind, 2) b WIM Bhagyashree Thipsay (Ind, 1); Koneru Humpy (Ind, 2) bt M Sai Meera Ravi (Ind, 1); R Aarthie (Ind, 2) bt L P Khadilkar (Ind, 1); GM Yuldashev Saidali (Uzb, 0.5) lost to Anup Deshmukh (Ind, 2); Vishal Sareen (Ind, 1) drew GM Gallagher Joseph (SWZ, 1); GM Pravin Thipsay (Ind, 1.5) bt Sriram Jha (Ind, 0.5); IM Orzoli Annageldiyev (Tkm, 1.5) bt IM Tejas Bakre (Ind, 0.5); IM V Saravanan (Ind, 0.5) lost to IM RB Ramesh (Ind, 1.5); GM Toni Najdoski (Mek, 0) lost to IM V Koshy (Ind, 1.5); WIM NishaMohota (Ind, 1.5) bt Ravindra Dongre (Ind, 0); CS Gokhale (Ind, 0) lost to SS Ganguly (Ind, 1); Atanu Lahiri (Ind, 1) bt WIM S Vijayalakshmi (Ind,0); P Harikrishna (Ind, 0.5) drew DV Prasad (IND, 0.5).