MUMBAI, MARCH 17: Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua won the Datamatics Asian Zonal Chess Championships but that is not the big story of the day. It is the dramatic way in which the other Grandmaster, Pravin Thipsay, qualified as the second player from zone 3.1 (b) for the World Championships to be held at Las Vegas next year. He won 3-2 in the five-game tie-break at the Club Aquaria, Borivli here today.After tying for the second spot with K Sasikiran with 8 points after 11 rounds, Thipsay and the young IM were set to play the tie-breaker to decide the second spot. And what a tie-break series of five matches it turned out.Thipsay lost the first of the two 15-minute game when he consumed too much time thinking over a variation in the Kings Indian opening. Sasikiran throttled him but the victory officially came on time.Sasikiran looked set to clinch second when he had overwhelming position in the second 15-minute game. His pieces coordinated beautifully but in last minute, he lost his position to allow Thipsayto draw level.Then it was the turn of Thipsay to take the lead in the first of the five-minute games. He should have won the second too but from nowhere, Sasikiran found the right combination in the right time and force the decider where the player with white pieces got six minutes on the clock to black's five.Again Sasikiran's pawn sacrifice gave him the initiative but going for an ambitious bishop sacrifice he squandered the position. Thipsay thus made it for the world championships.The focus of the final day was obviously on Thipsay and Sasikiran as both were in joint second position with seven points. Barua, who was leading by a point (8) took a short draw with his roommate, V Saravanan and settled the issue.Thipsay's opponent today was Badri Nepali and he did not have any problems in getting past the Nepali's defence, in 24 moves. From Thipsay's Schevenenger variation, Nepali handed over the game to his opponent but a dubious bishop move which left his pawn hanging. Thipsay promptly capturedit, pushed his F file pawn to the sixth rank and trapped the black King with his bishop.That victory was expected, but Sasikiran also had a brilliant victory, over Abdullah-al-Rakib of Bangladesh.In the Queen's Gambit Merana Variation game, Sasikiran had the active rook and bishop to al-Rakib's rook, bishop and knight. But al-Rakib had double pawns on the F file. In the end game, Sasikiran's rook and queen and his 34th move 34. Qc5 sealed the fate of al-Rakib.RESULTSMen's (11th round): IM K Sasikiran (2535, India) 8 bt IM Abdullah al-Rakib (2405, Bangladesh) 4.5; Enamul Hussain (2310, Bangladesh) 4 drew with Anup Deshmukh (2430, India) 5; GM Dibyendu Barua (2538, India) 8.5 drew with V Saravanan (2396, India) 6.5; GM Pravin Thipsay (2467, India) 8 bt Badri Nepali (2185, Nepal) 1; IM Zia-ur-Rehman (2498, Bangladesh) 6.5 bt M Waqar (2240, Pakistan) 1.5; IM M Lodhi (2420, Pakistan) 6 lost to IM Abhijit Kunte (2455, India) 6.5.TIE BREAKER SERIES15-minute games: Sasikiran btThipsay (1-0); Thipsay bt Sasikiran (1-1).5-minute games: Thipsay bt Sasikiran (2-1); Sasikiran bt Thipsay (2-2).Decider (6minutes for white, 5 for black): Sasikiran lost to Thipsay (2-3).Final position with prize money: 1. Barua (Rs 41,700); 2-3: Thipsay, Sasikiran (Rs 25,020 each); 4-6: Saravanan, Kunte, Zia (Rs 8,340); 7. Lodhi (Rs 4,170); 8. Deshmukh (Rs 4,170); 9. al-Rakib; 10. Hussain; 11. Waqar; 12. Nepali.
