PSCB set to win National chess

Defending champions Petroleum Sports Control Board maintained the lead with 19.5 points at the end of sixth and penultimate round in the 24th National Team chess championship in Nagpur on Friday.

With a clear three-point lead over nearest rivals Indian Airlines and Indian Railways, both having 16.5 points, PSCB have to score just 1.5 points on Saturday to claim the title.

Paul Morphy Chess Academy, Central Revenue Sports Board and Western Railway all have 14.5 points in third position while Reserve Bank of India and Vidarbha Chess Association, with 14 points, are in fourth place.

PSCB on Friday made a clean sweep against Chess Trainer.Com, adding four points to their overnight tally of 15.5 points.

On the top board, PSCB GM K Sasikiran opened with his queen pawn to find D Ravishankar of Chess Trainer employ the Dutch defence.

After a complex middlegame, Sasikiran won his opponent's rook and two pawns for his two minor pieces. Playing the end game precisely, he won the in 51 moves.

On the second board, PSCB's GM Abhijit Kunte did not have much difficulty beating chess trainer's Sushant Banerjee. The latter blundered a piece on the 24th move and immediately resigned.

PSCB's third board player Lanka Ravi, playing white, against Y Aidasani sacrificed a pawn in the middlegame of Czech Benoni game and created an advanced passed pawn on d-6. Encashing on his advantage he won in 38 moves.

Chess Trainer's Ninad Konakanchi opened with his queen pawn against IM V Saravanan his rival and against latter's King's Indian defence employed four pawn attack. He sacrificed a pawn in the centre to seize initiative but after warding off the tactical threats, Saravanan won the game on the 62nd move.

Indian Airlines' woman Grandmaster S Vijayalakshmi won against Central Revenue's Pandit Rao in their Benoni defence. Pandit Rao blundered a knight on 21st move and thereafter it was easy for Vijayalakshmi. She won in 40 moves giving her team one full point.

The other draw in a clash between railmen, Indian Railways missed some chances and handed full point to P D S Girinath of IR while IR's Suvrajit Saha and Nasir Waji won their games easily WR's Rashmin Pulekar and Amardeep Bortakke respectively. The lone point for WR came from Shashikant Kutwal who beat Murlikrishnan of Indian Railways.