The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Venkatesh, Ratnakaran go down fighting

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Friday, Nov 03, 2006
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Venkatesh, Ratnakaran go down fighting

PUNE: M.R. Venkatesh and K. Ratnakaran fought gallantly, but could not prevent an all-Grandmaster semifinals in the inaugural Poona Club knockout rapid chess tournament here.

Battling odds, Venkatesh surprised favourite Surya Shekhar Ganguly in the choice of openings in their two regular rapid games that eventually ended with honours even but surrendered in one of the two blitz games to lose 2.5-1.5.

Ratnakaran, the only other non-GM in the quarterfinals, matched Tejas Bakre for five games before a piece-sacrifice cost him the match.

In the other two quarterfinals, R.B. Ramesh cleaned up veteran GM Pravin Thipsay 2-0 following a queen-offer leading to checkmate in the first game. In the second, that lasted just 31 moves, Ramesh forced Thipsay to give up after assuming control in an ending involving rooks.

Local favourite Abhijit Kunte stopped Dibyendu Barua in the first rapid game and easily drew the second to take his allotted place in the last-four.

The results (quarterfinals): S.S. Ganguly bt M.R. Venkatesh 2.5-1.5; R.B. Ramesh bt Pravin Thipsay 2-0; Tejas Bakre bt K. Ratnakaran 3.5-2.5; Abhijit Kunte bt Dibyendu Barua 1.5-0.5.

Semifinal line-up: Ganguly-Ramesh; Kunte-Bakre.

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