World Junior Chess R5: Sethuraman of India in Joint lead, Grover Third

Kocaeli, Turkey: Indian Grandmaster SP Sethuraman crashed through the defenses of Russian Andrey Stukopin to score an impressive win and join Yu Yangyi of China in lead on 4.5 points after the end of the fifth round of World Junior Chess Championship.

Playing the black side of a Sicilian Najdorf, Sethuraman capitalized on his chances in the middle game and launched a direct attack on the king that resulted in his winning a piece for a couple of pawns. Stukopin hung in there trying to find some counter play but the Indian came up with a startling manoeuvre to force checkmate after a knight sacrifice.

It turned out to be a good day for Indian boys as GM Sahaj Grover outplayed Muhammad Luthfi Ali of Indonesia to jump to joint third spot on four points.

Grover was at his technical best in another Sicilian Najdorf of the day and got a passed pawn on the queenside with some precise calculation. Ali was at sea in figuring out the best defense with his clock ticking away and Grover's Queen and Bishop dealt the knockout blow.

Debashish Das and Vidit Gujrathi also moved to four points in contrasting styles. Das again came up with a fine positional display and defeated Martin Romero Martinez of Colombia while Gujrathi played out a draw with Polish Duda Jan-Krzysztof.

Among other Indian boys, Asian junior champion N Srinath defeated Ali Marandi Cemil Can of Turkey, Sameer Kathmale scored over Erkin Karaolcu of Turkey while Rakesh Kulkarni drew with Vehid Mesic of Bosnia. SL Narayanan ended on the losing side against Peruvian Grandmaster Jorge Cori.

In the girls' championship being held simultaneously, GK Monnisha lost to Meri Arabidze of Georgia. But, Rucha Pujari brought cheers to the Indian camp defeating higher rated Indonesian Monica Sihite Chelsie.

The highest rated Indian, Padmini Rout was held to a draw by Sarasadat Khademalsharieh of Iran. Rucha, Padmini and Monnisha all have an identical 3.5 points from five rounds.

Ivana Furtado moved to three points after defeating Ani Krumova of Bulgaria. Anjana Krishna played out a draw while J Saranya, Shristi Shetty and Riya Sawant went down fighting.

With eight rounds still to come, Alina Kashlinskaya of Russia, Aulia Media Warda of Indonesia and Irina Bulmaga of Romania share the lead in this section on 4.5 points apiece. --PTI

Important and Indian Results Round 5: (Indians unless stated):Alexander Ipatov (Tur, 4) drew with Yu Yangyi (Chn, 4.5); Vidit Gujrathi (4) drew with Duda Jan-Krzysztof (Pol, 4); Andrey Stukopin (Rus, 3.5) lost to S P Sethuraman (4.5); Idani Pouya (Iri, 4) drew with Urii Eliseev (Rus, 4); A R Salem Saleh (Uae, 3.5) drew with Tamas Petenyi (Svk, 3.5); Wei Yi (Chn, 3.5) drew with Mykola Bortnyk (Ukr, 3.5); Martin Romero Martinez (Col, 3) lost to Debashis Das (4); Muhammad Luthfi Ali (Ina, 3) lost to Sahaj Grover (4); S L Narayanan (2.5) lost to Jorge Cori (Per, 3.5); Ali Marandi Cemil Can (Tur, 2.5) lost to N Srinath (3.5); Sameer Kathmale (2) beat Erkin Karaokcu (Tur, 1); Vehid Mesic (Bih, 1) drew with Rakesh Kulkarni (1).

Girls: Dinara Saduakassova (Kaz, 3.5) lost to Alina Kashlinskaya (Rus, 4.5); Aulia Medina Warda (Ina, 4.5) beat Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus, 3.5); Zhai Mo (Chn, 3.5) lost to Irina Bulmaga (Rou, 4.5); Meri Arabidze (Geo, 4) beat G K Monnisha (3.5); Deysi Cori (Per, 4) beat Irina Petrova (Ukr, 3); Wang Jue (Chn, 4) beat Andrea Paula Rodriguez Rueda (col, 3); Padmini Rout (3.5) drew with Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Iri, 3.5); Monica Sihite Chelsie (Ina, 2.5) lost to Rucha Pujari (3.5); J Saranya (2.5) lost to Sabina Ibrahimova (Aze, 3.5); Anjana Krishna (2.5) drew with Maria Gevorgyan (Arm, 2.5); Ani Krumova (bul, 2) lost to Ivana Maria Furtado (3); Shristi Shetty (1.5) lost to Anna Styazhkina (Rus, 2.5); Bibissara Assaubayeva (Kaz, 2) beat Riya Savant (1).

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5 Reasons why Carlsen better not Underestimate Anand

We have a nice report from our partner site that has lot of fun articles surrounding the upcoming World Chess Championship 2013 between Carlsen and Anand. Check it out here. 

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GM Bogdan Lalic Wins Cesenatico Chess Tournament in Italy

GM Bogdan Lalic of Croatia has won the 17th Torneo di Cesenatico that was held from August 31-September 8 with a strong performance from start to finish at the State Middle School n. 1 Viale Torino in Cesenatico, Italy. You can also locate him as quite an active Grandmaster on Facebook.

A total of 160 players competed in three groups – Open A (elo 1900 and higher), Open B (U2000) and Promotion (juniors born on 1997 and later). The Open A had 70 participants. In the last round GM Bogdan Lalic defeated the earlier leader IM Olga Zimina to secure a clear first place with 7,0/9 points.

The Open B had 102 participants. Simone Marangoni (ITA 1855) won the section with 7,5/9 points. In the “Promotion” event Luigi Doronzo (ITA 1410) and Marco Landi (ITA 1416) shared the first place with 6,5/8 points each.

Open A final standings:
1. GM Lalic Bogdan 2484 CRO – 7,0
2-5. IM Mrdja Milan 2377 CRO, IM Roeder Matthias 2412 GER, IM Zimina Olga 2337 ITA and FM Schacher Gerd 2347 ITA – 6,5
6-14. IM Stella Andrea 2447 ITA, FM Drei Andrea 2257 ITA, FM Dittmar Peter 2344 GER, GM Naumkin Igor 2445 RUS, GM Cebalo Miso 2440 CRO, FM De Santis Alessio 2289 ITA, FM Barlocco Carlo 2093 ITA, FM Schaufelberger Heinz 2262 SUI and FM Xia Jie 2287 ITA -6,0 etc.

Here is a cool video of the game from another chess tournament: The Czech Open 2013: 

IM Stefan Kuipers - GM Bogdan Lalić 0 - 1

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World Junior Chess Round 4: Gujrathi, Sethuraman in Joint Second Place

Kocaeli, Turkey, September 16: Indian Grandmasters Vidit Gujrathi and S P Sethuraman registered victories to jump to joint second spot on 3.5 points after the end of the fourth round of World Junior Chess Championship.

While Gujrathi outclassed Jurab Javakhadze of Georgia, Sethuraman got the better of Vahe Baghdasaryan of Armenia in their fourth round encounters.

On what turned out to be a good day for the Indian boys, Gujrathi made most of the opportunities in a complex game against Javakhadze from the black side of an irregular opening.

Getting his knight posted in the centre of the board, Gujrathi exerted pressure and the Georgian did not have a chance.

Sethuraman also fought for the blood out of a Semi-Slav defence and won a pawn with precise calculations. The technicalities were far from easy but the Indian made them look like child's play when his two passed pawns marched down in the ensuing Bishops and pawns endgame.

The other Indian Grandmaster in the fray, Sahaj Grover also scored a fluent victory over Benjamin Arvola of Norway.

Playing the white side of a Nimzo Indian defence, Grover made early inroads in black's position with some finely crafted manoeuvres in the middle game.

Arvola could not resist for long as the pressure mounted on the queen side resulting in a loss of piece for the Norwegian. The game lasted just 25 moves and Grover took his tally to three points out of a possible four.

Top seed Yu Yangyi of China emerged as the sole leader after scoring his fourth victory on the trot. On the receiving end was A R Saleh Salem of UAE who was outdone in a Scotch opening game.

With Yangyi in front, as many as eight players are in close pursuit half a point behind including Gujrathi and Sethuraman.

Grover and Debashish Das are both on three points after the latter was held to a draw by Muhammad Luthfi Ali of Indonesia.

Meanwhile, G K Monnisha continued with her winning ways and defeated Sarasadat Khademalsharieh of Iran. The victory helped the Indian girl jump to joint lead with six others on 3.5 points in the girls section being played simultaneously.

Padmini Rout continued with her comeback attempt at the expense of compatriot Ivana Maria Furtado. Ivana played aggressively but met with some perfect defence that proved decisive in the end.

Rucha Pujari, J Saranya and Anjana Krishna ended on the winning side while Shristi Shetty and Riya Sawant lost their respective fourth round games.

Nine rounds still remain in the premier event for the under-20 players in the world.

Important and Indian results after round 4: (Indians unless stated): Yu Yangyi (CHN, 4) beat A R Salem Saleh (UAE, 3); Duda Jan-Krzysztof (POL, 3.5) drew with Alexander Ipatov (TUR, 3.5); Tamas Petenyi (SVK, 3.5) beat Nils Grandelius (SWE, 2.5): Jurab Javakhadze (GEO, 2.5) lost to Vidit Gujrathi (3.5); S P Sethuraman (3.5) beat Vahe Baghdasaryan (ARM, 2.5); Urii Eliseev (RUS, 3.5) beat Bai Jinshi (CHN, 2.5); Nasanjargal Urtnasan (MGL, 2.5) lost to Andrey Stukopin (RUS, 3.5); Debashis Das (3) drew with Muhammad Luthfi Ali (INA, 2.5); Sahaj Grover (3) beat Benjamin Arvola (NOR, 2); Jerad Docena (PHI, 2.5) drew with S L Narayanan (2.5); N Srinath (2.5) beat Uysal Burak (TUR, 2); Kutay Yargici Mazhar (TUR, 2) beat Sameer Kathmale (1); Rakesh Kulkarni (0.5) lost to Kitir Ahmet (TUR, 1.5).

Girls: Aleksandra Goryachkina (RUS, 3.5) drew with Zhai Mo (CHN, 3.5); Aulia Medina Warda (INA, 3.5) drew with Wang Jue (CHN, 3); Alina Kashlinskaya (RUS, 3.5) beat Zhansaya Abdumalik (KAZ, 2.5); Andrea Paula Rodriguez Rueda (COL, 3) drew with Deysi Cori (PER, 3); Irina Bulmaga (ROU, 3.5) beat Nguyen Thi Mai Hung (VIE, 2.5); G K Monnisha (3.5) beat Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (IRI, 2.5); Ivana Maria Furtado (2) lost to Padmini Rout (3);Barbara Racki (CRO, 1.5) lost to Rucha Pujari (2.5); Seda Alev Gonulden (TUR, 1.5) lost to J Saranya (2.5); Ana Kuchava (GEO, 2.5) beat Shristi Shetty (1.5); Liu Hongyan (CHN, 1) lost to Anjana Krishna (2); Riya Savant (1) lost to Shyngys Kyzy Aijarkyn (KGZ, 2). --PTI

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Carlsen's 2966 Show @ Sinquefield Chess vs Kamsky, Naka, Aronian

World's Best Wins Strongest Chess Tournament in U.S. History
Norwegian Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen wins the inaugural Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis

SAINT LOUIS, Sept. 16, 2013: The Chess Club and Scholastic Center of Saint Louis (CCSCSL) crowned Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen, 22, of Norway, the champion of the inaugural Sinquefield Cup, the strongest chess tournament in U.S. history. Carlsen is the No. 1 chess player in the world and the first-place finish in the tournament netted him $70,000.

This prestigious event was Carlsen's first-ever appearance at a tournament in the U.S., and his last before he challenges Viswanathan Anand of India in November for the World Championship title. He finished a full point ahead of Hikaru Nakamura, 25, of Saint Louis, who is ranked No. 1 in the U.S. and No. 5 in the world.

"The final margin of victory was a little flattering," Carlsen said at a press conference following the event. "I think I will enjoy some rest over the next couple of weeks. Then I'll have a pretty long training session, and go to India."

Carlsen holds the record as the highest-rated player in chess history. He was named one of TIMEmagazine's 100 most influential people of 2013 and has been the highest-rated player on the planet since he was 19.

Carlsen beat out three of top-ranked chess players in the world including Nakamura, World No. 2 Levon Aronian, 30, of Armenia, and U.S. No. 2 Gata Kamsky, 39, of Brooklyn. Nakamura earned $50,000 for second place, Aronian took home $30,000 and Kamsky netted $20,000 for his last-place finish.

CCSCSL Executive Director Tony Rich said this event marks an important milestone for U.S. chess.

"Bringing the world's best to Saint Louis is yet another sign that the U.S. is becoming a major player in the world chess scene," Rich said. "It also further establishes Saint Louis as the epicenter of chess in the United States."

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World Junior Chess: Mixed Results for Indians in Kocaeli, Turkey

Kocaeli, Turkey, September 16: Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi played out a fighting draw with Bai Jinshi of China, while GM Sahaj Grover lost to defending champion Alexander Ipatov of Turkey in the third round of World Junior chess championship here.

It was an English opening by Gujrathi that did not promise much hope in the middle game even as Jinshi exchanged off pieces at regular intervals to retain the parity. The players arrived at a queen and pawns endgame where the draw was a just result after 38 moves.

A faulty variation in the Queen’s gambit cost Sahaj Grover dearly as he was outdone in quick time by Ipatov.

Playing black, Sahaj made an error in the opening to allow a dangerous king side attack. Known for his fondness for attack, Ipatov pounced on the chance and reached a winning endgame that was easy to convert.

The other Indian Grandmaster in the fray – S.P. Sethuraman - made amends for his draw in the previous round and outplayed Ayan Akhmetov of Kazakhstan. A sacrifice in the middle game by Sethuraman led to a winning position.

With ten rounds still to go, Yu Yangyi of China, A.R. Salem Saleh of UAE, Duda Jan-Krzysztof of Poland and Ipatov emerged as joint leaders with a perfect score.

Sethuraman, Gujrathi and Grandmaster-in-waiting Debashish Das are among those who have 2.5 points each, while Grover and S.L. Narayanan are another half a point adrift.

Among other Indians in the fray, S.L. Narayanan defeated Temur Igonin of Uzbekistan while Das overpowered Saiyn Zhanat of Turkey. Rakesh Kulkarni and Sameer Kathmale ended on the losing side against Jorge Cori of Peru and Temizkan Denizcan of Turkey, respectively.

In the girls’ championship being played simultaneously, G.K. Monnisha continued with her excellent run to beat Mitra Hejazipour of Iran and took her tally to 2.5 points. -- PTI

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