The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Humpy advances; Meenakshi, Harika bow out

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, May 24, 2004

Sport

Sport - Chess

Humpy advances; Meenakshi, Harika bow out

ELISTA, MAY 23. Koneru Humpy came up with a vastly improved performance to tame Cecile Van der Merwe in just 31 moves in the second game of their first round match and took her allotted place in the second round of the women's World Chess Championship here on Sunday.

On Saturday, the top seed had struggled to victory against the lowest ranked competitor in the 64-player field. But on Sunday, Humpy had no difficulty in overpowering the South African who played passively with black pieces. Humpy gained control of a queenside file with a rook and tightened the noose with the help of the bishops. Though Humpy led the leading seeds into the second round, it was curtains for the other two Indians, S. Meenakshi and Dronavalli Harika, both of whom bowed to higher seeds.

Meenakshi, who drew with black pieces on Saturday, found herself in a checkmating net against Poland's Iweta Radziewicz and gave up after 34 moves. Harika, needing a win on Sunday to take the match into the tie-breaker, lost again to Lithuania's Viktorija Cmilyte. Like on Saturday, Harika fought valiantly before accepting the inevitable in 58 moves.

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