The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Sriram Jha moves to top slot

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jun 26, 2004

Sport

Sport - Chess

Sriram Jha moves to top slot

VIJAYAWADA, JUNE 25. With just two more rounds left, International Master Sriram Jha of LIC outwitted IM Valay Parikh of Gujarat to emerge the sole leader with nine points after 11 rounds in the Indian Oil Xtra Premium 42nd National `B' Chess Championship here today.

Former National Junior champion Abhijeet Gupta of Rajasthan, IM Sundarrajan Kidambi of the Petroleum Sports Control Board (PSCB), WGM D. Harika of WIPRO, IM M.R. Venkatesh of PSCB and IM P. Mokal of the Banks Sports Board were breathing down the neck of the leader with half a point behind.

In a game involving Queens Gambit accepted variation, Jha unleashed a powerful attack on open `f' file and created a passed pawn which proved dangerous for Parikh.

Despite the presence of opposite coloured bishops, Parikh was unable to stop promotion of pawns and resigned after 44 moves.

The slide of Karnataka's B.S. Shivanandan, leader till the ninth round, continued as he lost to Mokal who opened with centre counter.

The Karnataka player sacrificed the pawn at d5 and the game transposed into Kings Indian type. Encashing his opponent's slight inaccuracies, Mokal won in 35 moves.

Important results (eleventh round):

Abhijeet Gupta 8.5 drew with S. Kidambi 8.5; D Harika 8.5 drew with M.R. Venkatesh 8.5; Sriram Jha 9 bt Valay Parikh 7.5; Saptarshi Roy Chowdhury 8 drew with Saptharshi Roy 8; P. Mokal 8.5 bt B.S. Shivanandan 7.5; R. Bandopadyay 8 drew with N.K. Mishra 8; Vikramaditya Kamble 7.5 lost to Vishal Sareen 8; T.S. Ravi 7.5 drew with R.B. Ramesh 1.5; S. Arun Prasad 7 lost to G.B. Prakash 8; P. Konguvel 7.5 drew with Nassir Wajih 7.5; Deepan Chakravarthi 8 bt Gokhale C S 7. — UNI

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