Sachdev keeps winning streak

Woman Grandmaster and former Asian junior girls' champion Tania Sachdev continued her winning streak and downed Bela Khotenashvili of Georgia in the third round of World Junior Girls' Chess Championships in Istanbul on Saturday.

With this victory, Tania has maintained a clean slate with three points in as many rounds and now shares the lead with Alina Motoc of Romania, Anna Sherevich of Belarus and Gu Xiaobing of China.

Seeded 10th in the championship, Tania will take on Motoc in the next round.

In the boys' section, top seed Grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov continued to make merry and downed Bartlomiej Heberla of Poland in his third round game to lead this section on three points along with Kiril Kuderinov of Kazakhstan and Wei Chenpeng of China.

The championships are being played under FIDE's Swiss rules and there will be 13 rounds in all.

Poobesh Anand survived some anxious moments before getting the half point against Tomi Nyback from a Nimzo Indian defense game where the former played white. Going on less trodden paths in the opening, Poobesh allowed black a better game but slowly clawed back in the first time control to steer the game to balanced territory.

Important and Indian results:

Round 3 Boys (Indians unless specified):

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Aze, 3) beat Bartlomiej Heberla (Pol, 2); Lenic Luka (Slo, 2.5) drew with Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Pol, 2.5); Evgeny Tomashevsky (Rus, 2.5) drew with Kevin Terrieux (Fra, 2.5); Kiril Kuderinov (Kaz, 3) beat Borki Predojevic (Bih, 2); Wei Chenpeng (Chn, 3) beat Evgeny Ro manov (Rus, 2); Esen Baris (Tur, 2) lost to Vugar Gashimov (Aze, 2.5); Ferenc Berkes (Hun, 2) drew with Davit Magalashvili (Geo, 2); S Poobesh Anand (2) drew with Tomi Nyback (Fin, 2); Daniel Stellwagen (Ned, 2) drew with Tornike Sanikidze (Geo, 2); Alexander Kharitonov (Rus, 2)     drew with Kalin  Karakehajov (Bul); Jan Smeets (ned, 2.5) beat Malkhaz Sulashvili (Geo, 1.5); G N Gopal (1.5) drew with Wang Yue (Chn, 1.5); G Rohit (1.5) drew with Amanov Mesgen (Tkm); Akshat Khamparia (1.5) drew with Hannes Rau (Ger, 1.5); Partimarjan Negi (2) beat Yagiz Yasin Emrah (Tur, 1); Lettieri Giuseppe ( Ita, 2) beat Deep Sengupta (1).

Girls: Mongontuul Bathuyag (Mgl, 2) lost to Alina Motoc (Rom, 3); Natalia Zdebskaja (Ukr, 2 ) lost to Anna Sharevich (Blr, 3 ); Bela Khotenashvili (Geo, 2) lost to  Tania Sachdev (3); Gu Xiaobing  (Chn, 3)  beat  Liu Pei  (Chn, 2); Ciobanu Camelia (Rom, 2.5) drew with Melia Salome (Geo, 2.5); So piko Khukhashvili (Geo, 2) drew with Elisabeth Paehtz (Ger, 2); Natalija Pogonina (Rus, 2.5) beat Zhang Jilin (Chn, 1.5); Vera Nebolsina (Rus, 2) drew with D Harika (2); Kadziolka

Beata  (Pol, 2.5) beat Irina Vasilevich (Rus, 1.5); Jolanta Zawadzka (Pol, 2.5) beat Bianca Muhren (Ned, 1.5); Marina G useva (Rus, 2) drew with Dana Akateva (Kaz, 2); Nana Dzagnidze  (Geo, 2) beat Marlies Bensdorp (Ned, 1); Marie Brekke Jorunn (Nor, ) lost to Kruttika Nadig (Ind); Zuzana Gregorova (Svk, 1.5)  drew with Eesha Karavade (Ind, 1.5); N Raghavi (Ind, 2) beat Karina Szczepkowska (Pol, 1).