Winner likely to be from top three

One among these three is likely to win the race depending on who sustains their winning run. Of them, Vijayalakshmi possess the quality that champions are made of. She is not only the highest rated woman player in the country, but also has an aggressive style on the board.

The same cannot be said about Swati Ghate and Nisha Mohota. Swati has played a few uncomfortable games and wriggled out of them while Nisha has been a wee bit lucky. Her wins over Bhagyashree Thipsay and Sai Meera have been on time. Vijayalakshmi, on the other hand, has had six wins and her sole loss was against Safira Shanaz where she felt she was outplayed.

There are three more in the fourth position following the leading pack. Anupama Gokhale, Saheli Dhar-Barua and Pallavi Shah have 4.5 pointseach.Anupama has the best chance to forge ahead and upset the calculations of the leading trio simply because she has played most of the strong players.

After losses in the first two rounds, Anupama won her next four, defeating three former champions in consecutive rounds 8212; Mrunalini Kunte, Sarita Reddy and Bhagyashree Thipsay. A draw yesterday against Neha Singh pegged her back slightly but the ominous signs are there 8212; Anupama has always won the title after losing the first round.

Saheli, the second seed, has had mixed results so far. She lost to Sarita Reddy and Anupama, drew with Safira and won against Neha, Purabhi, Mrunalini and Nisha. The problem lies in the second half. She has to face Vijayalakshmi, Swati Ghate, Pallavi and Bhagyashree in the remaining six rounds.

Pallavi was disillusioned after her two losses to Mohota sisters. But two victories later, her chances are also looking up. She may not be able to upset the applecart of the frontrunners, but she has a good chance of making it tothe top four which will guarantee the player an India quot;capquot;.

This year, Bhagyashree had to qualify for the premier championships for the first time in 17 years. Sadly, it looks as if she have to go through the grind of qualifying once again.

Her first round loss on time to Nisha and her two consecutive defeats 8212; against Anupama and Pallavi 8212; have made her task of finishing in the top four a little difficult. The worst news is that she has most of the stronger players to battle against 8212; Vijayalakshmi, Swati Ghate and Saheli.

Sai Meera, among the 14 contesting here, is having the most wretched luck. She lost from a good position against Nisha and Swati Mohota, faced acute time pressure against Vijayalakshmi and dropped half-a-point against Safira in a game where she had the advantage.

The back benchers, Neha Singh and Purabhi Singha, have commendable spirit despite their string of losses. And when Purabhi scored her first victory over Sarita, she sported a huge grin.

They are not likely to bow outof the championships unnoticed. In the final round scramble for top positions, Purabhi and Neha are likely to trip the aspirations of a few heavyweights.

The organisers, the Maharashtra Chess Association, have to be lauded for their efforts to host this championships. They had no corporate houses forthcoming with sponsorships and only after the tournament started did they get State Bank of India to sponsor the prize money.

But they tarnished their image on the opening day of the championships by making a mountain of the mole hill. Their efforts to debar Raghunandan Gokhale, SG Joshi and LP Khadilkar on the grounds that they were a threat to the chief arbiter left them with egg on their faces. It looked like a clumsy attempt to victimise the trio. Incidentally, Khadilkar was seen roaming around the tournament hall during the seventh round.