NEW DELHI: Amid mounting tension, India just about managed to hang on to its overnight half-point lead and deservedly claimed the honours in the World Youth (under-16) Chess Olympiad in Singapore on Saturday.
In the 10th and final round, second seed India defeated Singapore I 3-1 and matched nearest-contender Hungary’s winning margin against Indonesia. In fact, a 4-0 victory for Hungary could have denied India the gold.
Fortunately for India, the surprise victory of Indonesia’s Woman FIDE Master Irine Kharisma Sukandar over Hungary’s much higher rated Tamas Fodor Jr. on the top board made the decisive difference to the fortunes of the two contenders.
When the dust settled down on the close title-race, India emerged champion with 28 points, while top seed Hungary took the silver at 27.5.
Bronze for Philippines
Commendably, 22nd seeded Philippines, claimed the bronze at 25.5 points, in spite of having just one rated player in its four-player squad. Filipino spearhead Wesley So turned out to be the best player of the competition scoring 9.5 points from 10 rounds.
Besides winning the first ever gold in the competition, India also bagged three board prizes. B. Adhiban (7.5/10) was third on the top board, P. Shyam Nikhil (5.5/7) came second on the fourth board and Swayams Mishra (3.5/5) took the third spot on the reserve board. R. Ashwath (4.5/8) and S. Nitin (7/10) were the other contributors to the maiden Indian triumph.
However, before jumping to any conclusion, it must be remembered that youth chess powers like Russia, Ukraine, Armenia and China stayed away from the competition.
Meanwhile, the All India Chess Federation and the Tamil Nadu Chess Association have planned a grand welcome to the team members on arrival at the Chennai airport on Sunday.
The results (10th round, top-10 tables): India (28) beat Singapore I (22.5) 3-1 (B. Adhiban bt Timothy Chan Wei-Xuan; R. Ashwath bt Dominic Lo Kin Mun; S. Nitin bt Daniel Chan Yi-Ren; Swayams Mishra lost to Terry Chua Zheng Yuan); Hungary (27.5) bt Indonesia (23.5) 3-1; Philippines (25.5) bt Turkey (23.5) 2.5-1.5; Vietnam (22) lost to Australia I (24) 1.5-2.5; Singapore II (22.5) drew with Iran (23) 2-2; Uzbekistan (24.5) bt Iceland (20.5) 3.5-0.5; USA (21.5) drew with Singapore II (20.5) 2-2; Malaysia (22) bt Hong Kong I (20) 2.5-1.5; Singapore IV (18) lost to England (22.5) 0-4; Japan (18.5) lost to Switzerland (20.5) 1-3.
Final standings (top-10): 1. India, 2. Hungary, 3. Philippines, 4. Uzbekistan, 5. Australia I, 6. Turkey, 7. Indonesia, 8. Iran, 9. Singapore II, 10. England.
Board prizes (Indians only): Board I: B. Adhiban (third), Board IV: P. Shyam Nikhil (second), Board V: Swayams Mishra (third).
