Gurevich is Lost Boys champion

International Master-elect T S Ravi took advantage of a misplayed move by compatriot R B Ramesh and crushed him in the final round to emerge as the top Indian at the Lost Boys International Open Chess tournament in Amsterdam.

Grandmaster Mikhail Gurevich claimed the championship garnering seven points. Though two others - Ivan Sokolov and Tregubov - also had same points, they finished behind Gurevich as he had better progressive scores.

Former junior national champion Sundararajan Kidambi held GM Van Der Wiel to come in the prize list with 5.5 points.

Ravi played the Sicilian Alapin variation with White and Ramesh misplayed in the opening delaying a critical 'h6' for long. This allowed Ravi to build a strong pressure on the Queenside with his two Bishops and Knights after the Queens were exchanged early on.

Ravi then penetrated Ramesh's position with his Rook on the 7th rank and won a pawn. In an opposite coloured Bishop ending, Ravi showed excellent technique to win the game in 63 moves. With two consequtive losses in the previous rounds, Ramesh exited from the race with 5 points.

Kidambi played a safe game with the White pieces against der Wiel and obtained easy equality in the opening. The Queens were exchanged early on and in a double Rook and Bishop versus double Rook and Knight ending, neither player could make any progress and settled for a draw.

This creditable draw helped Kidambi finish in the prize list with 5.5 points.

IM V Saravanan faced an irregular form of Kings Indian with the Black pieces and got into a slightly inferior position against J Jens.

Jens sacrificed an exchange and went for an attack and earned a dangerous passed pawn on the 'a' file as compensation. Saravanan exchanged the Queens to slow down White's onslaught and in a difficult ending defended his ground well to draw the game to finish with 5 points.

IM P Konguvel played against unrated Hoevens of the Netherlands and obtained a comfortable edge out of the opening of Pirc defence.

But Hoevens exchanged the pawns regularly and in a Queen, Rook and a minor piece position, the players agreed for a draw in 28 moves. Konguvel finished with 4.5 points.

GM Piket lost to compatriot GM Ivan Sokolov in a dramatic climax after enjoying a slight advantage from the White side of the Slav Defence. Sokolov took the risks at the right time and sacrificed a pawn for an attack against the White King.

Piket falied to find the right defence and lost the game in 40 moves to let Sokolov join Tregubov and Gurevich on the top.

Tregubov and Gurevich drew their last round game to share the point.