Kunte survives as Thipsay blunders

With the clock ticking fast in the end-game for Thipsay, he missed a mating combination to let Kunte get away. Thipsay tried to come back producing an onslaught of perpetual checks but an alert Kunte succeeded in forcing a draw to stay on the pole position with 6 points.

In a battle of young International Masters, 14-year-old P Harikrishna of Wipro scored his first win of the championship prevailing over 17-year-old Sundararajan Kidambi in a 36-move game of Nimzo-Indian defence.

GM Dibyendu Barua of TISCO and Fide Master TS Ravi were held to draws by Neelotpal Das of Goodricke Academy and Vishal Sareen respectively. Both Barua and Ravi have 5 points and share the second spot with GM Krishnan Sasikiran, who had bye in the eighth round.

Employing the Scheveningen variation of Sicilian defence, Thipsay gained advantage with precise play in the opening moves against Kunte.

In return Kunte blocked the centre but that paved way for Thipsay to ready his army for an attack in a model-like fashion.

Aggressive in approach, Kunte tried to confuse the issue with tactical tricks but had little success as Thipsay continued brilliantly until the clock spelled trouble for him.

In search of his first win, Harikrishna used intelligent variation to the Nimzo-Indian defence to outclass Kidambi.

The players moved on similar lines to that of the earlier Kidambi and Atanu Lahiri game till the 17th move before Harikrishna changed the course to create a good line for counter attacks.

A worried Kidambi reacted ambitiously moving his knight to d6 as a challenge. Harikrishna accepted the threat by sacrificing an exchange to clinch a winning position having the passed pawns in the A and B files.

Defenceless and faced with heavy material loss, Kidambi chose to resign.

Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua too suffered from his own mistake to share the point with 18-year-old Neelotpal Das.

Barua playing the old Indian defence overlooked a winning opportunity in the end-game only to accept a draw on the 50th move.

Among the others to score wins were IM Surya Shekhar Ganguly and IM Sandipan Chanda. While Ganguly showed great depth in his opening preparation to defeat Shriram Jha of LIC in 31 moves, Young IM Sandipan Chanda scored a smooth win over IM V. Saravanan of BPCL.

Chanda use the Berlin defence against the Ruy Lopez opening and a complex end-game was reached after early exchange of queens.

Results (round eight) S Kidambi (3.5) lost to P Harikrishna (3.5), Sriram Jha (3.5) lost to SS Ganguly (3), V Sarvanan (3.5) lost to Sandipan Chanda (3.5), Pravin Thipsay (4.5) drew with Abhijit Kunte (6), Neelotpal Das (3) drew with Dibyendu Barua (5), Ravi Hegde (3) drew with DV Prasad (4), Lanka Ravi (3.5) beat Atanu Lahiri (2), K Murugan (3) drew with GB Prakash (3.5), TS Ravi (5) drew with Vishal Sareen (4), K Sasikiran (5) bye.

The Moves: White: Thipsay; Black: Kunte

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. f4 Nc6 9. Be3 a6 10. a4 Qc7 11. Kh1 Re8 12. Bd3 Nb4 13. a5 Bd7 14. Qe1 Bc6 15. Qg3 Nxd3 16. cxd3 Nd7 17. f5 Bf6 18. Nde2 Rac8 19. fxe6 fxe6 20. d4 d5 21. e5 Bd8 22. Rf3 Nf8 23. Nf4 Qe7 24. Qf2 Qh4 25. g3 Qe7 26. Rf1 Rc7 27. h4 Nd7 28. Nf5 Nxe5 29. dxe5 d4 30. Bxd4 Qb4 31. Nf4 Rf7 32. Nfd5 Rxf3 33. Qxf3 exd5 34. Qf7+ Kh8 35. e6 Rg8 36. Rf4 Be7 37. Rg4 Bf8 38. h5 Qxb2 39. e7 Qc1+ 40. Kh2 Qd2+ 41. Kh3 Qe1 42. Kh2 Qd2+ 43. Kg1 Qe1+ 44. Kh2 draw accepted.