rediff.com: Kidambi keeps IM title hopes alive

India's Sunderarajan Kadambi held highly-rated Russian International Master Chemiev to a draw in the 10th and penultimate round of the Biel Open chess tournament on Friday, to keep alive his chances for the final IM norm.

The former junior national champion, with six points, needs a full point against B Ponnamariov in the final round on Saturday to bag the IM title.

Kidambi played the Slav defence with black and earned a comfortable position. Later, all the minor pieces were exchanged along with the queens and in a double rook endgame the players agreed to a draw after 30 moves.

In an all-Indian affair, IM R B Ramesh defeated P Konguvel to take his points tally to seven and stay in contention for a top-ten finish.

As in the last year, the format of this Swiss event changes in the last two rounds wherein the top four players at the end of the ninth round play among themselves to decide the first four positions.

In the virtual semifinals, GM Huzmann crushed GM Galkin Alexander 2-0 after their normal game ended in a draw. GM Boris Avrukh defeated GM Shariyazdanov 1.5-0.5 in the tie- break after their normal game ended in a draw. Huzmann and Avrukh will meet in the final on Saturday to decide the winner.

Ramesh played a fine novelty against Konguvel's Sicilian Dragon variation. Konguvel had initially given a pawn for attack, but Ramesh returned the pawn and sacrificed a knight on 'f5' square to launch a decisive mating attack on the black king. Konguvel was forced to give a piece and was about to lose the rook when he resigned.

Sarvanan was involved in a drawn encounter with GM Beshukov of Russia. He faced the the Taimonov variation and allowed his opponent to earn equality in the opening as a result of the latter's novelty.

The Queen's were exchanged and the game petered out into a rook and pawn endgame where the players agreed to a draw in 37 moves.

FIDE master T S Ravi again could not convert his advantageous position into a win against lowly-rated Lada Ireneusz of Poland.

From a Caro-Kann Panov-Botwinik variation, Ravi saddled his opponent with weak pawns in the centre. Ravi needlessly sacrificed a piece and let his opponent escape with a draw in 40 moves.

Other Important results: Sturva (7) drew with Volokitin (7); Kempinski (7.5) beat Gershan Alik (6.5); Huzmann (7.5) drew with Galkin Alexander (7); Avrukh (7) drew with Shariyazdanov (7.5); R B Ramesh (7) beat P Konguvel (6); Sarvanan (6.5) drew with Beshukov (6.5); Chemiev (6) drew with Kidambi (6); T S Ravi (5) drew with Lada Ireneusz (5).


	HOME \| SPORTS \| PTI \| NEWS