Thaindian News

Chennai, Aug 6 (IANS) Swayams Mishra, V.A.V. Rajesh, Girish Koushik and G.A. Stany upset higher rated Grandmasters as the quratet of Indian conquests highlighted the fifth round of the SDAT-RAMCO 50th World Junior and 29th Junior Girls Chess Championships here Saturday.

Overnight leader, Italian International Master Axel Rombaldoni kept a clean slate, winning his fifth game in a row while in the top board game, Rombaldoni beat third seed Grandmaster Ivan Salgado Lopez from Spain. Following the leader, at a half a point behind, was International Master Piorun Kacper of Poland.

In the girls section, Russian Girya Olga maintained her lead with 5.0 points after putting it across top seed Woman Grandmaster Paikidze Nazi of Georgia.

Swayams Mishra, a student of KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, emerged triumphant against GM Martinovic Sasa of Croatia in a Benoni game. “We don’t see Benoni openings at higher levels of play, and it came as a surprise.

“Martinovic stretched a bit more in the middle game, and after the bishop entry into his sixth rank, I felt confident of winning the game,” said the Orissa lad.

Though the game stretched to 50 moves, the result was not in doubt, as Swayams kept adding the pressure on the king side. In the resultant open position, Martinovic conceded a big advantage and gave up when he ran out of queen checks.

Karnataka lads Koushik and Stany, along with Chennai boy Rajesh put it across their accomplished Grandmaster opponents Durarbeyli Vasif (Azerbaijan), Pap Gyula (Hungary) and Salem A.R. Saleh (UAE) respectively.

Girish, Stany and Swayams moved to shared third spot with 4.0 points, while Rajesh stays further half a point behind at 3.5 points.

Sahaj Grover who began with 3.5 points, had a bad day, as he went down to Polish International Master Piorun Kacper. The French game saw the Delhi boy unusually blundering an early piece, losing a miniature game.

The big Indian hope Woman Grandmaster Padmini Rout went down to Romanian Bulmaga Irina in the third board. Also finishing on the losing side were Bhakti Kulkarni, P.V. Nandhidhaa and Pon N. Krithika in the top 10 boards.

Results (Round 5, Open, Indians unless specified): Rombaldoni Axel (Italy) 5 beat Salgado Lopez Ivan (Spain) 3.5, Goganov Aleksey (Russia) 4 drew with Niclas Huschenbeth (Germany) 4, Piorun Kacper (Poland) 4.5 beat Sahaj Grover 3.5, Vidit Santosh Gujrathi 3.5 drew with Sanan Sjugirov (Russia) 3.5, Shimanov Aleksandr (Russia) 4 beat M R Lalith Babu 3, Swayams Mishra 4 beat Sasa Martinovic (Croatia) 3, Durarbeyli Vasif 3 (Azerbaijan) lost to Girish A Koushik 4, G A Stany 4 beat Pap Gyula (Hungary) 3, Janev Tihomir (Bulgaria) 3 lost to Maxim Matlakov (Russia) 3.5, Firat Burak (Turkey) 2.5 lost to Tamir Nabaty (Israel) 3.5, V A V Rajesh (3.5) beat Salem A R Saleh (UAE) 2.5

Girls: Paikidze Nazi (Georgia) 3.5 lost to Girya Olga (Russia) 5, Cori T Deysi (Peru) 4.5 beat Nakhbayeva Guliskhan (Kazakhastan) 3.5, Bulmaga Irina (Romania) 4.5 beat Padmini Rout (3.5), Kazimova Narmin Nizami Qizi (Azerbaijan) beat P V Nandhidhaa (3), Chandika Divyasree (3) lost to Semenoa Elena (Russia) 4, Tokhirjanova Hulkar (Uzbekistan) 4 beat Bhakti Kulkarni (2.5), Kulon Klaudia (Poland) 3.5 beat Pon N Krithika (2.5) Hema Priya N (2.5) lost to Vo Thi Kim Phung (Vietnam) 3.