Tejas Bakre & Lanka Ravi in joint lead

By P. K. Ajith Kumar

TIRUR, SEPT. 21.As most of the seeds failed to justify their billings, two men stood tall at the Thuchan Memorial Research Centre on Friday.

Tejas Bakre, 20 and one of India's fine young players, and Lanka Ravi, 39 and one of India's most experienced internationals, played exceptionally well against strong rivals on day two of the eighth National rapid chess championship for the Kainikkara Mammi Memorial Trophy to emerge as the joint leaders after the fifth round. They are on 4.5 points, half-a- point ahead of M.R. Venkatesh of Capa Chess Academy, Chennai, and T.S. Venkataranam of Goa, who are in the second position.

Ravi, the second seed from Petroleum Sports Control Board, had really a great day winning all his three games, against fifth seed and teammate P.Konguvel, 16th seed G.B. Joshi of Indian Airlines and third seed N. Sudhakar Babu of Indian Bank. Playing on the white side of a Dutch Defence, he reached a minor piece ending with a passed pawn on the centre. He had enjoyed a positional advantage from early on, and there was little Babu could do. Joshi was in an equally helpless situation in the fourth round, after Ravi had opted for French Defence and secured a king-side majority of pawns, which proved crucial. Top seed Bakre beat eighth seed Jayant Gokhale and Venkataraman but conceded a draw to teammate Rahul Shetty.

In the fifth round on the top board he was in fine form though, outplaying Venkataraman. Adopting Sicilian Defence, he had the double bishop advantage after the queens were exchanged. He won a pawn and queened another en route to a comprehensive victory.

On the third board, fourth seed Neelotpal Das of Goodricke National Chess Academy, Kolkata, was held to a draw by Yogesh Gore of Chattisgarh, who had shocked the sixth seed T.S. Ravi of PSCB in the fourth round.Four rounds remain, and all of them will be played on Saturday.

The results (Fifth round):T.S. Venkataraman (Goa) 4 lost to Tejas Bakre (IA) 4.5; Lanka Ravi (PSCB) 4.5 bt N. Sudhakar Babu (IB) 3.5; Neelotpal Das (GNCA) 3.5 drew with Yogesh Gore (Cha) 3.5; K. Ratnakaran (Ker) 3.5 drew with S. Satyapragyan (IA) 3.5; Ram S. Krishnan (TN) 3.5 drew with Varughese Koshy (PSCB) 3.5; M.R. Venkatesh (Capa Chess Academy, Chennai) 4 bt Alex Thomas (Ker) 3; Jayant Gokhale (PSCB) 3.5 bt R.S. Gupta (Cha) 2.5; Rahul Shetty (IA) 2.5 lost to C.S. Gokhale (IA) 3.5; T.S. Ravi (PSCB) 3 bt G.B. Joshi (IA) 2.5; Karun Duggal (Del) 2 lost to P. Konguvel (PSCB) 3; Kandi Ravi (AP) 3 bt R.R. Laxman (TN) 2; S. Mariarul (Chromepet Chess Academy, Chennai) 3 bt E.P. Nirmal (Ker) 2; Santosh Kumar Sinha (Bih) 3 bt A.K. Patnagar (Goa) 2; K. Abhimod (Ker) 2 lost to Ebenezer Joseph (P & T) 3; P.A. Mohammed Favas (Ker) 2 lost to Praful Mehta (Guj) 3; S. Satyakam (Ori) 3 bt Rohit A. Kadam (Goa) 2; Ravi Kumar (Cha) 2 bt Abhash Kumar (NLM, Bihar) 1; Dinesh Kumar (T. Nagar Chess Academy, Chennai) 2 bt P.A. Fajara (Ker) 1; Jowner Rasheed (J & K) 2 bt Aswin Shroff (Guj) 1; Sabu Jacob (Ker) 1 lost to George K. Samuel (Ker) 2; V. Hari Balu (CCA) 2 bt K. Darsan (Ker) 0.5; F.A. Afsaq (Chennai Chess Academy) 1.5 bt Sanjay Ramadas (Goa) 0.5; M. Karthika (Ker) 0.5 drew with Moseen Moneer (J & K) 1.

Fourth round: Venkataraman bt Ratnakaran; Bakre bt Jayant Gokhale; Joshi lost to Lanka Ravi; Babu bt Shetty; Gupta lost to Neelotpal; Gore bt T.S. Ravi; Satyapragyan bt Mariarul; Koshy bt Sinha; Ebenezer lost to Venkatesh; Laxman lost to Ram; Alex bt Duggal; Patnakar drew with Satyakam; Gokhale bt Ravi Kumar; Konguvel bt Sabu; Mehta bt Abhash; Kadam bt Dinesh; Nirmal bt Hari; George lost to Kandi Ravi; Fajara lost to Abhimod; Sanjay lost to Favas; Moseen drew with Rasheed; Darsan drew with Asfaq; Shroff bt Karthika.

Third round: Shetty drew with Bakre; T.S. Ravi lost to Ratnakaran; Gokhale drew with Joshi; Venkatesh lost to Venkataraman; Mariarul lost to Babu; Satyakam lost to Gupta; Lanka Ravi bt Konguvel; Neelotpal bt Mehta; Dinesh lost to Satyapragyan; Kandi Ravi 1 lost to Koshy; Ravi Kumar lost to Duggal; Abhimod lost to Laxman; Sabu lost to Alex; Hari lost to Gore; Sinha bt Nirmal; Favas lost to Ebenezer; Ram bt Kadam; Asfaq lost to C.S. Gokhale; Patnakar bt Shroff; Rasheed drew with Sanjay; Abhash bt Darsan; Karthika lost to George; Moseen lost to Fajara.

Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Section  : Sport
Previous : Sethi earns semifinal date with Joshi
Next     : India poised to become a superpower