Sasikiran and Aronyak share lead in Senior National chess championship

Krishnan Sasikiran and Aronyak Ghosh surged into the lead with five points after five rounds in the Senior National Chess Championship in Guntur. Sasikiran defeated Goutham Krishna, while Aronyak beat Kashish Jain. Other top players, including Ganguly and Iniyan, drew

Hyderabad: Four-time national champion Krishnan Sasikiran and India’s highest-rated IM Aronyak Ghosh of Railways shot into the lead with five points from five rounds in the 62nd Senior National Chess Championship for Men, organised by the Andhra Chess Association, at Vignan University in Guntur.

Sasikiran initially failed to capitalise on the winning chances because of a weak 39th move by Kerala’s young international master H Goutham Krishna, in a Nimzowitsch Larsen Attack game. However, holding on to the slight advantage he had, Sasi developed his queen, rook and bishop, mounting a strong attack. As Goutham’s knight was made immobile to prevent a checkmate, he had no other option but to surrender.

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After exchanging all the minor pieces and also the queens in a Caro-Kann Defence, Aronyak Ghosh found the task easy when Kashish Manoj Jain volunteered a rook exchange. Manoj resigned on the 44th move, as Aronyak threatened a pawn promotion.

GM Surya Sekhar Ganguly of PSPB accepted the Queen’s Gambit by Andhra’s grandmaster MR Lalith Babu, also of PSPB, and agreed to a formal draw after the stipulated minimum of 30 moves, as per the regulations of the tournament.

Top seed P Iniyan of Tamil Nadu also could not carve out a win against Karnataka IM Viani Anto Dcunha in a same-colour bishop ending and settled for a draw after forty moves.

Andhra’s IM Ravi Teja of Railways continued his good run by beating A Kumaresh of Tamil Nadu, a silver medallist in the World Amateur Championship.

In a materially balanced position, five-time national champion Abhijeet Gupta enjoyed a huge advantage due to a powerful seventh-rank pawn, pulling off an easy win over Tamil Nadu champion B Vignesh.

Important results: 5th round: MR Lalith Babu (AP) 4.5 drew with S Sekhar Ganguly (PSPB) 4.5; H Goutham Krishna (KL) 4 lost to K Sasikiran (PSPB) 5; Manoj Jain Kashish (Maha) 4 lost to Aronyak Ghosh (RSP) 5; SP Sethuraman (PSPB) 4 drew with Audi Ameya (GA) 4.5; Viani Anto Dcunha (Kar) 4 drew with Iniyan P (TN) 4; Abhijeet Gupta (PSPB) 4.5 bt B Vignesh (TN) 3.5.