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Chess
Nilavoli maintains slender lead
By Manuel Aaron
CHENNAI, DEC 8. Drawn results on the top two boards saw H. Nilavoli of Tamil Nadu maintaining her slender half point lead at the end of the seventh round of the Kumaraguru College of Technology 16th National Junior girls chess championship, co-sponsored by Ramco Industries. Four more rounds remain in this qualifier for the 2002 World and Asian junior girls championships.
Nilavoli has six points and is followed half a point behind by World under-12 girls silver medallist Dronavalli Harika, Mary Ann Gomes of Goodricke National Chess Academy and P. Priya of Tamil Nadu.
Mary Ann Gomes played the Sicilian Pelikan against Nilavoli and appeared to have got the better position in the late middle-game. The black pieces were in attacking formation while the white pieces were all well within their own half. But when they entered an ending, the game swung in favour of Nilavoli who failed to exploit her good knight against black's bad bishop. Finally the game was drawn in a rook ending after 66 moves.
On the second table, Priya played enterprising chess against the National under-14 Champion, Eesha Karavade, sacrificing a pawn on the 19th move for active piece play. She regained the pawn after 20 moves and drew a knight ending easily.
In the black side of a Leningrad Dutch Defence, Manasi Dadarkar of Maharashtra gave up a pawn on the 17th move for no compensation against Harika. Manasi had a queen and rook doubled along white's second rank, but with clever play Harika skirted the threats to her f2 and won on the 37th move.
The most spectacular game occurred on the fourth table where Amruta Mokal of Maharashtra devastated N. Vinuthna of Andhra with some brilliant fireworks. Playing very adventurously, Amruta sacrificed a knight on mid-board and then got her own queen cornered at a7. But Vinuthna had to pay a heavy price for winning white's queen. She got the queen for just a rook and three pawns. But the three white pawns were all on the sixth rank, waiting for promotion. On the 30th turn, Vinuthna gave up the battle.
Leading position:
1 H. Nilavoli 6; 2-4 Harika, Mary Ann Gomes, P. Priya 5.5; 5-8 Eesha Karavade, Madhuri Patil, Amruta Mokal, Y. Prathiba 5 each. 9-11 J. E. Kavitha, C. Delphin, N. Raghavi 4.5 each.
The results (Round 7):
H. Nilavoli (TN) 6 drew with Mary Ann Gomes 5.5; Eesha Karavade (Venus CA) 5 drew P. Priya 5.5 (TN); D. Harika (AP) 5.5 bt Manasi Dadarkar (Mah) 4; Amruta Mokal (Mah) 5 bt N. Vinuthna (AP), 4 P. Malarselvi 4 lost to Y. Prathiba (TN) 5.
Madhuri Patil (Mah) 5 bt R. Mahima 4; Pooja Rathod 3.5 lost to C. Delphin (TN) 4.5; C. V. Rajalakshmi (TN) 3.5 lost to J. E. Kavitha (TN) 4.5; M. Rajadharshini (ECC) 3.5 lost to N. Raghavi (TN) 4.5; Nabeela Farheen (TN) 4 bt K. Prajeesha (Ker) 3; Baisakhi Das (Alekhine CA) 3.5 drew with P.Sivasankari (TN) 3.5.
Banupriya Subbaraman (TN) 4 bt Supriya Maji (Goodricke) 3; Anuprita Patil (Mah) 3.5 drew with Anjanaa Sowjanyaa 3.5; Sowmya Swaminathan (Venus CA) 4 bt Swati Sengupta (WB) 3; Lakshmi Praneetha (AP) 4 bt R. Sharanya (TCA) 2.5; B. Umamaheshwari (ECC) 2 lost to P. Uthra (CCA) 3.5.
Mrudal Patil (Mah) 2 lost to Lakshmi Sahithi (AP) 3; Cija Augustus (Lak) 3 bt Archana Mohanty (Or) 2; E. Shabina (Lak) 3 bt Lalitha Ragavendran 2; K. R. Anitha (Ker) 2 drew with R. Surya (Chrome CA) 2; Madhu Patkar (Chatt) 2 bt K. Manasa (Kar) 1.5; Nikita Nanaiah (Kar) 1 drew with Sowmyashree C Ail (Kar) 1.5.
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