The Hindu : Sport / Chess : Anilkumar, Mohanan in lead

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Thursday, May 24, 2007
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Anilkumar, Mohanan in lead

KOCHI: Kerala found its youngest State Senior chess champion last year when G.N. Gopal won the title as a 17-year-old. This year, with both Gopal and K. Ratnakaran — the State's first two International Masters — keeping away, the old heads are back in business at the Airtel State championship here on Wednesday.

Kozhikode's O.T. Anilkumar, in his mid forties, and 55-year-old U.C. Mohanan were in the lead as the championship crossed the midway point . The top-seeded Anilkumar, a multiple State champion who was forced to share the point with local lad P.V. Gireesh in the fourth round, stopped the winning run of Wynad's Alex Thomas in the next round to get back into the lead. The ninth-seeded Mohanan, a former three-time State champion, upset fourth-seeded Gireesh on his way to the top pack.

The results (fifth round): O.T. Anilkumar (Kzd, 4.5) bt K. Alex Thomas (Wyd, 4); P.V. Gireesh (Ekm, 3.5) lost to U.C. Mohanan (Ekm, 4.5); N. Abdul Majeed (Kzd, 4) drew with M.A. Joy Lazar (Tsr, 4); M.B. Muraleedharan (Ekm, 3.5) drew with K.R. Madhusoodanan (Kzd, 4); A. Niji (Kzd, 3) lost to V. Rajith (Tvm, 4); K.V. Devadasan (Knr, 3) lost to Salman Farris (Tsr, 4); Mohammed Dhilshad (Kzd, 3) lost to Binju Oommen (Pta, 4); K.A. Unas (Ekm, 4) bt V.M. Rajeev (Tvm, 3); K.P. Ismail (Mlp, 3.5) drew with Meenu Rajendran (Tvm, 3.5); U.S. Satheesan (Ekm, 3.5) bt R. Sriram (Ekm, 2.5).

Fourth round:Anilkumar drew with Gireesh; Alex Thomas bt Mohammed Dhilshad; Joy Lazar bt K.A. Unas; Binju Oommen drew with M.B. Muraleedharan; Madhusoodanan bt Satheesan; P.K. Arjun lost to N. Abdul Majeed; Mohanan bt P.K. Suresh; A.K. Jagadeesh lost to Niji; S. Roshni drew with N.T. Suresh Kumar; V. Rajith bt Vishnu Gopakumar.

RSC camp concludes

The Regional Sports Centre's multi-event summer coaching camp, the biggest in Kerala, concludes at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor Stadium in Kochi on Saturday evening.

Nearly 2,500 children were trained in 25 disciplines by some of the some of the country's top coaches, including Mohammed Arif and Ganguly Prasad in badminton, Pushi Lal in table tennis, P.R. Purushothaman in athletics, and by Ukranian Popovich in handball during the two-month camp.

The RSC has arranged a sports quiz and a colourful cultural ceremony, which includes a music and dance show, to mark the camp's closure.

Loknath Behra, IG (Administration) will inaugurate the closing function in the presence of the Ernakulam District Collector A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish and the City Police Commissioner Manoj Abraham.

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