Five Indians In Sole Lead
By Arvind Aaron
 

The number of Indians in sole lead in the World Youth Chess Festival grew from three to five at the end of the ninth round on October 28. Also, as a bonus, Adhiban (Boys U-16), Sayatan Das (Boys U-12) and Padmini Rout (Girls U-14) have a possibility to win their sections with a round to spare if they win their penultimate round games at Vietnam on October 29.

None of the five Indians in the Boys Under-16 section won yet Chennai's B. Adhiban maintains his one point lead with 7.5/9. A win against Azerbaijani opponent in the tenth round can give him the title with a round to spare on Wednesday.

In the Boys Under-12 section, tenth seed Sayatan Das of Bengal moved from joint lead to sole lead with 8/9. He leads by one point and needs to win one of his last two rounds for the title. Shiven Khosla of Mumbai is tied for the second-third place with seven points and we can expect two medals.

In the Girls Under-14 section, Padmini Rout of Orissa is leading the tournament with 8.5/9. She holds a one point lead with two rounds still to go. One victory can give her the title with a round to spare. Shalmali Gagare is on seven points in third place and will be looking for a medal.

FIDE Master Vidit Gujrathi (Boys U-14) is holding on to his half point lead despite making a draw with the black colour in the ninth round. He is on 7.5/9 and holds a half point lead with two rounds still to be played.

In the girls Under-12 section, Bodda Pratyusha moved from joint lead to sole lead with a win from the black side. She is on 7.5 points and is leading the section by half a point with two rounds still to be played.

In the Boys Under-10 section, Diptayan Ghosh drew with white against a lower rated opponent. He is on seven points and shares the second-third place. He is facing the leader in the tenth and penultimate round. A win can help him to catch up with the Polish leader.

In the girls Under-18 section, R. Preethi of Madurai is on 6.5/9 and is sharing the second-third places with a Chinese opponent.
 

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Home                                                        Published on 29^th October, 2008