Race on top five places

MUMBAI, JUNE 1: The chess Nationals has never had a stronger field than the one at the 37th National A Championships -- sponsored by Relia...

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MUMBAI, JUNE 1: The chess Nationals has never had a stronger field than the one at the 37th National A Championships — sponsored by Reliance Industries and conducted by the Maharashtra Chess Association.

With four Grandmasters and 11 International Masters including two IM-elects and two double IM-norm holders battling for a place in the Indian team, the race for the top five places is on. The first five finishers will make the the team that will represent the country in the Istanbul Olympiad, to be held later this year.

The 21-day tournament enters its final stage on Friday and though frontrunner GM Abhijit Kunte of Petroleum Sports Control Board holds the lead with 11 points, there are a few snapping at his heels. Among those in the 19-player field is defending champion GM Krishnan Sasikiran. The 19-year-old from ONGC, who is also the Commonwealth champion, is placed second with 9.5 points and is battling for the top spot.

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Five more rounds are to played in the round-robin tournament where every player gets a bye. This decision was arrived at after Rahul Shetty of Indian Airlines withdrew at the last minute following illness.

Kunte and GM Dibyendu Barua of TISCO, who has a tally of nine points, have a bye round each and this may prove decisive for Sasikiran.

The key point of the championship so far has been its duration and players need stamina to last the pressure. Most experienced campaigners have already made it known that long games spread over weeks take their toll and only those with greater determination will emerge as winners.

The two rest days therefore came as great relief to the players, mostly for the seniors.

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So far, Kunte has shaped superbly — overcoming a mild flu in between. The 23-year-old Indian Oil Corporation player, in a way, celebrated the award of Grandmaster norm to him recently. After a sedate first two rounds, he has been in brilliant touch. He scored crushing wins over GM Sasikiran, Sundararajan Kidambi of Tamil Nadu, Sriram Jha of LIC, IM Lanka Ravi, IM K Murugan of NLC and Vishal Sareen of LIC.

Kunte is yet to lose a game and the only threat he received was from GM Pravin Thipsay. But Kunte escaped with a draw. He has so far drawn six games.

Kunte’s 1.5 lead difference can be cut down by Sasikiran when the former gets a bye. Sasikiran appears to be an immediate threat to Kunte. Having beaten IM Surya Shekhar Ganguly, P Harikrishna, Sandipan Chanda and veteran Ravi Hegde, the Grandmaster, who is known for his uncanny ability to keep a game alive in dull situations, will surely go for the kill in the remaining rounds.

For Barua, the going in the tourney has not been upto his expectations. He was forced into draws in two games where he could have pulled out wins. With five wins, eight draws and a loss, the top seed will now need victories if he has any ambitions of becoming the national champion.

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IM DV Prasad (8 points) along with GM Pravin Thipsay (7.5) would be eyeing a place in the Indian team but will be fiercely challenged by IM Ganguly and Fide Master TS Ravi — both of whom also have the same number of points.

Following are the pairings for round 15: D Barua vs Atanu Lahiri, Abhijit Kunte vs GB Prakash, Sandipan Chanda vs Vishal Sareen, SS Ganguly vs TS Ravi, P Harikrishna vs K Murugan, K Sasikiran vs Lanka Ravi, S Kidambi vs Ravi Hegde, Sriram Jha vs Neelotpal Das, V Sarvanan vs Pravin Thipsay, DV Prasad – bye round.

Standings

1. Abhijit Kunte (11 points); 2. Krishnan Sasikiran (9.5); 3. Dibyendu Barua (9); 4. DV Prasad (8), 5. Pravin Thipsay, SS Ganguly, TS Ravi (7.5); 6. P Harikrishna, V Sarvanan, Sandipan Chanda (6.5); 7. K Murugan, Ravi Hegde, Neelotpal Das (6); 8. GB Prakash, Vishal Sareen (5.5); 9. S Kidambi, Sriram Jha, Atanu Lahiri (4.5) 10. Lanka Ravi (4).