Chess (#1200)

Chennai's 16-year-old GM, and top seed, Aravindh Chithambaram, took the Asian Junior title in a tough event at the Hotel Park Plaza, Delhi. Chithambaram scored 7 from 9 rounds to edge out Sunilduth Lyna Narayanan, who also scored 7. Their individual encounter was crucial. The 17-year-old Sunilduth, who completed his GM title recently, was leading before Aravindh beat him in Round 6.

It was a clean sweep for India as Harsha Bharathakoti (6.5) took the bronze ahead of the national champion, GM Murali Karthikeyan (6.5) and Iranian IM, Seyed Khalil Mousavi (6.5). Mousavi was the only one to beat the eventual champion.

In the Girls section, the untitled 18-year-old Mongolian, Uurtsaikh Uuriintuya, who started as seed #4, won with 7/9 ahead of P V Nandidhaa (6.5) and Ivana Maria Furtado (6.5) who took silver and bronze, respectively. Meanwhile, "senior" Indian GM Baskaran Adhiban (who is 23) came second in the Hasselbacken Open in Sweden, tying with Dmitry Andreikin (both 7.5/9). But Andreikin had the better tiebreak. Both won sharp attacking games in the last round. However, Adhiban's efforts were overshadowed by his junior compatriot, Nihal Sarin. The 11-year-old prodigy had a terrific score (6.5/9) and also charmed everybody who was not at the receiving end of his powerful play. The Russian Team Championships have just concluded. The premier league had just five teams but it also boasted 12 super GMs. Despite economies forced by low crude and gas prices, local oligarchs support their chess teams with the same intensity as football magnates elsewhere.

The Bronze Horseman (St Petersburg) led by Peter Svidler and Lenier Dominguez (Team average Elo 2720) won the double round-robin league edging out Siberia (Novosobirsk) which actually had an even higher team Elo average of 2729 with Vladimir Kramnik and Alexander Grischuk holding down top boards. St Petersburg also won the Women's teams, making it a huge success for the former imperial capital.

The diagram, WHITE TO PLAY is from the last round. (White: Adhiban Vs Black: Victor Mikhalevski, Hasselbacken Open, Stockholm 2016)

White needs a win and, as always, Adhiban is prepared to go for broke in a crunch game. The engines say 20.Rc1 may well be good enough to win because 20. Rc1 Rxc1+ 21. Qxc1 Qxd6 22. Bc5! takes the exchange. Instead White gives the exchange and that's actually stronger

20.Ng5! Bxd1 21.Qxd1 Qa5 22.Qb3+ Kh8 [The alternative 22...Qd5 23.Qxd5+ Nxd5 24.Bh3! Rce8 25.Be6+ Rxe6 26.Nxe6 Nxe3 27.d7! Rb8 28. Rc1! is also good for white.

Play continued 23.Bd3 Nh5 24.Nxh7! Rxf3 [ Or 24...Kxh7 25.Qe6! Rf6 26.Qxc8] and now the Kt returns with deadly threats after 25.Ng5 Rf5 26.Qe6 Qd5 27.Rxh5+ gxh5 28.Nf7+ Kg8 29.Qxc8+ Kxf7 30.Qxf5+ (1-0).

Devangshu Datta is an internationally rated chess and correspondence chess player