Chess tournament: Imperious Kelkar extends lead

Abhishek Kelkar justified his top billing as he moved away from the pack and fortified his standing at the top of the leaderboard on the second day of the Shri Maheshwarand Saraswati Memorial 51st Maharashtra State Open Selection FIDE Rating Chess Tournament. The tournament is being organised by Buddhibal Kreeda Trust on behalf of Maharashtra Chess Association at Manohar Mangal Karyalaya under the auspices of Pune District Chess Circle.

Kelkar trounced Ranveer Mohite in a rather lopsided contest. Playing with black pieces,Mohite seemed to run Kelkar close a couple of times,however,the top-ranked Kelkar,employed a combination of smart moves to ensure that he was never seriously threatened.

Pratik Patil of Jalgaon scored a win over Amardeep Tiwari of Aurangabad to emerge leader with 14 others after end of round three.

Asian under-5 chess: Bhagwat wins bronze <\b>

City boy Yash Bhagwat (5) defeated compatriot Ananth Ramdas in the seventh round of the Asian Under-5 rapid chess tournament in Colombo,Sri Lanka,and clinched the bronze medal for his country. Bhagwat,a kindergarten student at the Hume McHenry School in Salisbury Park,trains at Budhibal Vishwa Academy on Kumthekar Road under the tutelage of Dhanaji Kakade and Madhuri Patil. The Colombo event was Bhagwat’s first international tournament. Bhagwat will now represent India in the Asian youth chess championship next year.