3rd Calcutta Open Grandmaster ChessIndian Super Grandmaster held by Filipino NM Barbosa

by Bipin Shenoy

Calcutta, India: Oliver Barbosa of the Philippines held top seed Krishnan Sasikiran (2677) to a draw in the second round of the Calcutta Open Grandmasters Chess Tournament at Gorky Sadan on Tuesday. On a day of upsets, GM Koneru Humpy, too, could not penetrate the defences of IM S. Satyapragyan in a Ragozin Defence.

Sasikiran, playing white, obtained a superior position from the opening in a Slav Defence and won a rook for a knight in the middlegame. But he went astray in the ending, allowing his opponent to draw by perpetual checks.

IM Ponnuswamy Konguvel outwitted GM Alberto David of Luxemburg with black in a Sicilian Dragon. Konguvel obtained a passed pawn on the h-file in a queen and rook versus queen and rook ending which proved decisive.
M.S. Thejkumar defeated GM Abdulla Al-Rakib in a sharp game that came from a Queen’s Gambit and 15-year-old Bitan Banerjee held GM Eshan Ghaem Maghami in a Benko Gambit.

World junior champion Adly Ahmed of Egypt also had to settle for a draw against Akshayraj Kore of India after a protracted struggle which ended after 67 moves. Arghyadip Das held GM Sandipan Chanda with black in a closed Sicilian.

TOP BOARD RESULTS
Round II — Krishnan Sasikiran (1.5) drew with Oliver Barbosa (1.5); Nisha Mohota (1) lost to Smbat Lputian (2); Koneru Humpy (1.5) drew with S. Satyapragyan (1.5); Saptarshi Roy (1) lost to Victor Laznicka (2); Sandipan Chanda (1.5) drew with Arghyadip Das (1.5); David Alberto (1) lost to P. Konguvel (2); Akshayraj Kore (1.5) drew with Adly Ahmed (1.5); Nguyen Anh Dung (2) bt Vikramaditya Kamble (1); Abdulla Al-Rakib (1) lost to M.S. Thejkumar (2); Mahmood Lodhi (1) lost to Vladimir Dobrov (2); Safin Shukhrat (2) bt V. Saravannan (1); Watu Kobese (1.5) drew with Ziaur Rahman (1.5); Dibyendu Barua (2) bt Prathamesh Mokal (1); Sk. Nasir Ahmed (1) lost to Neelotpal Das (2); Ashwin Jayram (2) bt B.T. Murali Krishnan (1); Suvrajit Saha (1.5) drew with R.B. Ramesh (1.5); Tejas Bakre (2) bt Somak Palit (1); G.B. Prakash (1.5) drew with Sriram Jha (1.5); M.R. Venkatesh (2) bt Shankar Roy (1); Minhazuddin Ahmed (1.5) drew with Sundararajan Kidambi (1.5).