Experienced GM Kunte drew with young GM Vidit Gujrathi on top board

Four players share lead

Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh and Oliver Barbosa of Philippines joined Abhijit Kunte of PSPB and Vidit Santosh Gujrathi of Maharashtra in the lead with 5.5 points, after seven rounds in the 19th International Open Grandmasters Tournament, organised by Alekhine Chess Club, Kolkata, today. Three more rounds remain to be played.

Abhijit Kunte opted for this third consecutive draw of the tournament, against former world under 14 champion Vidit Santosh Gujrathi in a Catalan opening. After exchanging the queens on the 20th move, Kunte tried to promote his pawn to eighth rank, by sacrificing the knight. But Vidit played accurately and nullified the advantage to share the point. In a double bishop ending, with equal pawns, Deepan Chakkravarthy of TN forced third seeded Konstantin Landa of Russia to split the point.

Ukraine’s Sergey Fedorchuk overlooked a powerful combination of Ziaur Rahman’s queen and bishop to get virtually checkmated in 31 moves. Ziaur, who defeated top seeded Nigel Short in an earlier round has climbed back to the top again. The longest drawn battle between Barbosa and Pantsulaia Levan of Georgia, the former prevailed over the latter with two extra pawns in the queen and pawns ending. 

Oliver Barbosa of Philippines won the longest game of the day against Pantsulaia Levan of Georgia

Sixteen year old IM Diptayan Ghosh of West Bengal followed the Slav defence against former Commonwealth champion MR Lalith Babu of PSPB. He maintained a balance in the game until move 37, when both had queen, rook and five pawns each. Diptayan played a disastrous end game to lose three pawns in quick succession and hence the game in 48 moves .

Former world championship finalist and top seed Nigel Short of England bounced back from his draw sequences cutting short orissa’s GM Debashis Das to size. He sacrificed his a- pawn and the counter play from Debashis was not proper. Short further made an exchange sacrifice to obtain a superior position and win the game. 

Teen age sensation IM Diptayan Ghosh lost to GM Lalith Babu

Former under 16 world champion B Adhiban of PSPB played an enterprising game against co GM from Tamil Nadu, M. Shyam Sundar. Adhiban won exchange on 25th move by tactically giving up his for rook and getting the compensation in the very next move by a knight fork. Further, he sacrificed his rook on 45th move to get three unstoppable connected pawns, on the verge of promotion. Shyam resigned on the very next move.

Mchedlishvili Mikheil of Georgia accounted for another Bangladesh HM Abdulla Al-Rakib in a queen pawn’s game lasting only 29 moves. SP Sethuraman of PSPB also moved on to 5 points, with a victory over Railway’s IM K Rathnam]karan.

Nigel Short of England recovered to win this round against GM Debashis Das

Important results of Round 7