Sasikiran, Laznicka set for an enthralling Kolkata Open finish

The Kolkata Open Grandmasters open Chess tournament is all set for an exciting final outcome with top seed India’s Krishnan Sasikiran and Viktor Laznicka of Czech Republic are going neck and neck, as they entered the final round, after sharing 7.5 points each at the end of penultimate round in Alekhine Chess Club here on Tuesday.

Laznicka, who will fight it out to settle the scores with world junior champion Adly Ahmed, as he had lost to him in the world junior meet in October in Armenia, in the final round is finely placed.

While Sasikiran, who crushed GM Sandipan Chanda, will go all out for a win against S. Arun Prasad to seal the title in his favour. Prasad surprisingly got the better off Russian GM Vladimir Dobrov to get a nine-game GM norm on Tuesday. Prasad is on second place with seven points while seven more were in the joint third place with 6.5 points.

GM Sandipan Chanda wilted under pressure against Sasikiran’s Sicilian defence and surrendered on the 36th move when faced with a checkmate. This win put the Indian Super GM to maintain the lead and have a shy at the title in the final round on Wednesday.

GM Laznicka scored another impressive win against GM Koneru Humpy. IM Saptarshi Roy who badly needed a victory against Iran’s GM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami to earn his maiden GM norm. But the thwart Roy’s attempt and denied him the GM norm but the Indian IM still has some statistical chance of getting the GM norm if he wins his final round.

Rolando Nolte of Philippines got his maiden GM norm by outwitting GM Abdulla Al-Rakib of Bangladesh. Argyadeep Das achieved his final IM norm after drawing against Enamul Hossain of Bangladesh.

Swapnil Dhopade, M.S. Thejkumar and Oliver Barbosa of Philippines also earned their IM norms while Nimmy George got her second WIM norm.

RESULTS (Round IX)

Sandipan Chanda (6.5) lost to Krishnan Sasikiran (7.5); Viktor Laznicka (7.5) bt Koneru Humpy (6.5); Adly Ahmed (6.5) drew with Shukhrat Safin (6.5); S. Arun Prasad (7) bt Vladimir Dobrov (6); Ehsan Ghaem Maghami (6) drew with Saptarshi Roy (6); Nguyen Anh Dung (6) drew with R.B. Ramesh (6); Rolando Nolte (6.5) bt Abdulla Al-Rakib (5.5); Ziaur Rahman (6.5) bt P. Konguvel (5.5); Tejas Bakre (6.5) bt Dibyendu Barua (5.5); Smbat Lputian (5) drew with Oliver Barbosa (5.5); Niaz Murshed (5) lost to Alberto David (6); Arghyadip Das (5.5) drew with Enamul Hossain (5.5); Himanshu Sharma (5) lost to Ashwin Jayram (6); B.T. Murali Krishnan (5.5) drew with Sriram Jha (5.5); G.B. Prakash (6) bt M.R. Venkatesh (5); Sundararajan Kidambi (6) bt Vinay Kumar Matta(5); Neelotpal Das (5.5) bt Kruttika Nadig (4.5); V. Saravanan (4.5) lost to R.R. Laxman (5.5); S. Satyapragyan (4.5) lost to N. Sudhakar Babu (4.5); Watu Kobese (5) drew with Kenny Solomon (5).