Sport - Chess   

Priya beats Prathiba, in sole lead

By Our Special Correspondent

VIJAYAWADA Oct. 3. P. Priya defeated Asian junior champion Y. Prathiba in the seventh round of the National junior girls chess championships at the Indira Gandhi Municipal Corporation stadium to lead the field with six points, albeit by a slender half point margin over a string of rivals.

Prathiba embarked on a Petroff opening against Priya and lost a pawn on the d4 square at the 14th turn. On the very next move, the queens were exchanged, leaving the positions equal. Capturing pawns one after another, a rook and pawn ending swung black's way, settling the issue in Priya's favour in 59 moves.

Baisaki Das' Sicilian Pelican opening saw her hold an edge against Tejaswi Kanuri till about the 15th, when the former played Na5, a dubious move. Black made the most of that lapse, doubling her rooks on c file on the 19th. Employing a shrewd strategy, Tejaswi went a pawn up on c3 square, establishing clear advantage by the 33rd. Thereafter, her advance to victory was systematic.

An English opening and 11 moves later, Eesha Karvade created a weak pawn at c6 against Sowmya Swaminathan on the third board. On the 17th, the former blockaded that very pawn with Bc5, exchanging rook and pawn on the 21st and 23rd to wrest the advantage. Left without compensation, Sowmya's campaign folded in 56 moves.

Important results (seventh round): Y. Prathiba 5.5 lost to P. Priya 6, N. Raghavi 5.5 drew with Nabeela Farheen 5.5, Eesha Karvade 5.5 bt Sowmya Swaminathan 4.5, M. Rajadarshini 4.5 lost to K. Chandrahawsa 5.5, Amruta Mokal 5 drew with Kruthika Nadig 5, P. Siva Sankari 4.5 lost to Mahima Rahmohan 5.5, N. Sandhya 5 bt J.E. Kavitha 4.5, Umamaheshwari 4 lost to N. Vinutna 5, J. Rajasurya 5 bt Anuprita Patil 4, Baisaki Das 4 lost to Tejaswi Kanuri 4, G. Madanasri 4.5 drew with Malar Selvi 4.5, Niharika 4 lost to H. Nilavoli 4.5, K.L. Praneetha 3.5 lost to Ramya Krishna I 4.5, C. Delphin 4.5 bt Ayushi Rai Choudhury 3.5, Kiran Monisha Mohanty 4 drew with Alka Das 4, Saheli Nath 4 bt P. Lakshmi Sahiti 3.5, Kiruba H. Arasu 4 bt Supriya Majhi 3, Lalitha Raghavendran 3 lost to Aswathy Balagopalan 4, Mohana Priya 3 lost to Meenu Rajendran 4, Anugupta 3 lost to P. Uttara 4, Pragna Patavi 4 bt C. Divya Sri 3, S. Ramya 4 bt Pallavi Maiya 3, K. Sruthi 4 bt Veena Mounica 3.

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