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Harikrishna wins World Jr chess

November 30, 2004 19:02 IST

Grandmaster Pendyala Harikrishna emulated Viswanathan Anand by winning the World Junior Chess Championship, with 10 points after the 13th and final round, in Kochi on Tuesday.

Russia's Ekaterina Korbut, with 10.5 points, won the girls' under-20 championship, which was held alongside.

Anand, Harikrishna's idol, had won the title in 1987 in Baguio, The Philippines, and Grandmaster Koneru Humpy won the girls' world junior crown in 2002.

In the last round, the 18-year-old Indian drew with top seeded Grandmaster Ferenc Berkes of Hungary in a Catalan defence in 50 moves, while on the second board, Zhao Jun of China, who was jointly leading with Hari, after the penultimate round, lost to Radoslaw Wojtaszek of Poland in a closed Sicilian opening in 49 moves.

Fourth seed GM Tigran Petrosian of Armenia defeated IM Elshan Moradiabadi of Iran in Catalan defence in 37 moves.

Petrosian took the second spot on better progressive score than Zhao Jun, who had to be content with third place.

"I am delighted at winning the world junior title. Though I was confident, I was a bit tense since I was in a must-win situation," Harikrishna said.

"I will be concentrating on the Asian Championship, to be played here in January," said Harikrishna, a B A student of Ambedkar Open University, Hyderabad.

On the top board, Harikrishna, playing white, captured a pawn on b7 on the 17th move. Two moves later, he got one more pawn on a7, but white was forced to give back one pawn on the 27th move.

The game then proceeded to an opposite colour bishops ending with both sides having lone rooks.

White's one pawn advantage was not sufficient to give Hari a point since Ferenc, a former under-18 world champion, was defending the position with mathematical precision and the game ended in a draw after 50 moves.

In another game, Petrosian, playing white, gained some control on the seventh file after the 20th move, but the Iranian was able to defend with the exchange of minor pieces.

In the resultant end game with equal pawns, both players agreed for a draw in the 37th move.

In the girls' championship, Korbut sacrificed a pawn on the 11th move to gain some attack on the rival king. But after a couple of moves Alina Motoc, playing white, was able to trade the queens. In the resultant middle game, black gained one more pawn. White tried a mating by the 20th move, but black defended it with a counter attack, which was fruitful on the 37th move.

On the top board, WGM Elisabeth Paehtz, who was jointly leading with Korbut after the 12th round, was shocked by India's Krutika Nadig in English opening in 70 moves while in another match Eesha Karavade defeated Zhang Jilin of China in Ruy Lopez opening in 64 moves.

Paehtz and Karavade finished with 9.5 points each, but the former on superior progressive score took the second place.

Zhao Jun, who posed a threat to Hari by bouncing back to share the lead after 12th round, lost to Radoslaw in 49 moves.

On the 13th move Radoslaw, playing black, gave an exchange for a pawn and was able to hold the white position in an underdeveloped situation which gained black two more pawns by the 24th move.

Playing an exchange down with three pawns, black's bishop proved stronger than the white rook. Unable to prevent promotion on the 'a' and 'b' files, white resigned on the 49th move.

Humpy, the lone girl in the junior boys' category, defeated Artem IIjin (Russia) in Kings Indian attack after 30 moves.

Besides Harikrishna, Deep Sengupta and Koneru Humpy, finished in the top ten, while in the girls' championship Eesha Karavade, Krutika Nadig, N Vinuthna and P Sivasankari did well to finish inside the top ten. 


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