Konguvel widens lead with victory

Bhilai, April 30: Ponnuswamy Konguvel of Petroleum Sports Control Board played an impressive game from the black side against N Sudhakar Ba...

Bhilai, April 30: Ponnuswamy Konguvel of Petroleum Sports Control Board played an impressive game from the black side against N Sudhakar Babu of Banks Sports Board to record his seventh win in eleven games in the National A Chess Championship at the Bhilai Hotel here today. His 11th round win gave Konguvel a full point lead over the rest of the field. His nearest rival, his PSCB teammate Abhijit Kunte, was on 7.5 points after his fighting draw with Lanka Ravi of NLC.

Sudhakar Babu gambited his Queen-side pawn for attack against the Kings Indian Defence. Konguvel just held his position and waited for white to commit hara kiri. “In fact, my guess is that he got confused between two lines in the Saemisch Variation, “Konguvel observed after the game.

Sudhakar castled long thinking that he was getting some Kingside attack. By the time he realised that he got nothing for the pawn, it was too late.

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Konguvel simply combined his Queen and bishop for a mating attack on move 30. The win put Konguvel on course for his second National A title.

Former National champion D V Prasad of PSCB was motivated to fight in round 11 against R B Ramesh. Prasad chose a rare variation in the Scotch game, a line in which only a handful of games have been played as of now. Ramesh managed to get into a better position and looked set for an upset in a rook and bishop versus rook and knight ending as he kept an extra pawn. Once, Prasad exchanged the bishop for his knight, the game was drawn in 41 moves. Prasad’s tenth draw in 11 games took him to six points, the same as Ramesh.

Abhijit Kunte faced the Caro-Kann Defence against IM Lanka Ravi of NLC and played with the aim of getting a draw. The position got simplified to a rook and pawn ending which was drawn after 32 moves.

International Master K Murugan of Neyveli Lignite Corporation consolidated his position with a 28-move win over defending champion TN Parameswaran of Air-India. Murugan broke through when Parameswaran allowed a combination, which led to a mating attack with the Queen and bishop. The win took Murugan to seven points and a clear third place.

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IMs Pravin Thipsay, Ravi Hegde (both BSB ) and Lanka Ravi (NLC) were locked in the fourth position with 6.5 points each.

Thipsay sacrificed a pawn in the Modern Defence against Varghese Koshy of PSCB but could not get anything out of it. The draw was agreed upon in 19 moves.

Hegde seemed to have run up a solid position in the Reti Opening against TS Ravi of BSB and combined his pieces menacingly on the Kingside. In time pressure, Ravi sacrificed his piece for three pawns after which he had to fight to get a draw. He succeeded in doing so after 42 moves by sacrificing his rook for knight and taking perpetual checks with the Queen.

Results

11th round: NS Babu (BSB) 3.5 lost to P Konguvel (PSCB) 8.5, Abhijit Kunte (PSCB) 7.5 drew with Lanka Ravi (NLC) 6.5, PM Thipsay (BSB) 6.5 drew with V Koshy (PSCB) 5.5, Ravi Hegde (BSB) 6.5 drew with TS Ravi (PSCB) 6, K Murugan (NLC) 7 bt TN Parameswaran (Air-India) 4.5, RB Ramesh (PSCB) 6 drew with DV Prasad (PSCB) 6, GB Joshi (Indian Airlines) 2.5 lost to V Saravanan (PSCB) 5, PDS Girinath (Railways) 3.5 drew with MB Muralidharan (Kerala) 3.