Axel Rombaldoni and Olga Girya emerge sole leaders

Chennai, August 5: Italy's Axel Rombaldoni and Olga Girya of Russia emerged as the sole leaders after making four wins from four rounds in the Open and Girls sections in the SDAT-Ramco World junior chess championship at Hotel Vijay Park here on Friday.
Nobody from Italy has ever won the junior World in the first 49 editions and the golden jubilee edition is on. Rombaldoni with a win over higher-rated Tamir Nabaty of Israel with the black pieces wrested a slender half-point lead.
International Master Sahaj Grover is in joint second place with 3.5 points. Sahaj won a miniature game in 24 moves when he trapped the black knight of Romania's Petrisor to move up to 3.5 points.
Plenty of possibilities existed in a position in which higher-rated Lalith Babu repeated the position and drew in 24 moves with the white pieces against Tihomir Janev of Bulgaria.
G.A. Stany held higher-rated Grandmaster Sasa Martinovic of Serbia to a creditable draw with the black pieces in a rook and bishop ending after 33 moves. This was also by repetition of moves but it went above the 30-move rule set by FIDE to kill agreed draws.
Madurai International Master Priyadharshan played a dubious opening line with the black pieces but finally held top-seeded Maxim Matlakov of Russia. He drew by repeating the position in 31 moves.
In a rook and same colour bishop ending, the Indian had an extra pawn and the Russian had to play secure to earn the half point.
Girish posts win
Former World under-10 champion Girish Koushik punished International Master Ramnath Bhuvanesh for accepting a dangerous central pawn.
Girish went on to make a knight sacrifice and won by using a might pin on move 32. Adhiban, India's title hope has recovered from the dismal start. He has posted two wins in a row. The last one against Sapozhnikov of Canada came with a sparkling double pawn sacrifice and 28 moves. He trained his rooks, queen and bishop on the uncastled white king to regain his magical touch. Olga Girya won with white against Kazimova of Azerbaijan to wrest sole lead with four points. In the joint second place are Padmini Rout, Nakhbayeva (Kaz), Nazi Paikidze (Geo), Cori Deysi (Peru) and Irina Bulmaga (Rom) on 3.5 points.
Keen battle
Rivals in age group chess for five years, Padmini and top seed Paikidze fought a keen battle. The Orissa player chose to use the closed variation against the Sicilian.
After the rooks were exchanged off, Padmini forced the queens out of the board and in the process won a pawn on move 35. Thereafter in a long ending the game was drawn.
The Asian junior girls' champion Bhakti Kulkarni enjoyed a big advantage against the king's Indian defence of Zrinka Deur of Croatia but slipped and drew in 39 moves.
Krithikha drew a higher-rated Russian with the white pieces in 36 moves after losing a knight.
Using a pawn on the seventh rank, the Chennai girl repeated moves in a double edged position to draw Dogodkina. (Agencies)


2011-08-05



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