World Cadets: Indians back with four medals
The World Cadets 2016 ended on a high note for India. We were the country that won the most number of medals - four. However, the gold medal remained elusive. In this article we take you through the last round of all the medal winners, and show you their game with deep analysis. This will help you to get the feel of how these youngsters were able to keep their cool even in the high pressured situation. Exclusive pictures, analysis, stories and much more.
The last round of any tournament is a tense affair. It's in these final moments of the event that fortunes are made or broken. Going into the last round a handful of Indian players had the chance to win a medal. But they had to score on the final day. A loss would mean going back home empty handed. How do young kids face such tense situations? The story is the same for every chess player - you have to forget about the medals, norms and titles and focus on making the best possible moves. That, and only that, is the secret to victory.
Praggnanandhaa enters the tournament hall flanked by his mother on the left and WIM Sai Meera Ravi on the right
R. Praggnanandhaa, the boy who is giving commentators all over the world a hard time pronouncing his name, was leading the tournament until the eighth round. It seemed certain that he would win the gold, when this happened:
[Event "World Cadets Championship U12B"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.28"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Kumar, Nikhil"]
[Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2076"]
[BlackElo "2442"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
{Praggnanandhaa was in the lead until this round. However, he suffered a shock
defeat at the hands of Nikhil Kumar. The opening play is surely to be blamed
to some extent.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 $5 {Playing the Queen's Gambit
Declined. Usually black players are happy to go for the Nimzo Indian. But with
Praggu you can never be certain. He plays what he likes.} 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5
Be7 6. e3 c6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Qc2 {It might make sense to first play Nge2, as
then the queen can be useful on either c2 or d2. In case of the f3-e4 plan, it
could be much better placed on d2.} Nh5 $6 {This is surely a dubious idea. If
Black wants to play this he should insert the moves h6 and Bh4.} (8... h6 9.
Bh4 Nh5 {is the right way to play. In this way the h7 pawn would not be
hanging in many lines.}) 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nge2 Nhf6 11. O-O Nf8 (11... O-O {
In this position White stands better because he has a clear plan of Nf4, Rae1,
f3 and e4.} 12. Nf4 Re8 13. Rae1 $14) 12. a3 Ne6 13. Rad1 O-O 14. f3 {White
has a clear plan of e4. Praggnanandhaa tries to justify the placement of his
knight on e6 and goes for the c5 break.} c5 $6 (14... Re8 15. e4 $14) 15. dxc5
Qxc5 (15... Nxc5 {also doesn't work.} 16. Nxd5 $1 Nxd5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Rxd5
Qxe3+ 19. Kh1 $16) 16. Nxd5 $1 {White just wins two pawns. The rest is not at
all difficult.} Nxd5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Qxc5 Nxc5 19. Rxd5 Kxh7 20. Rxc5 {
Praggu fought on, but the writing was already on the wall.} b6 21. Rc2 Ba6 22.
Rd1 Bxe2 23. Rxe2 Rac8 24. Rd7 a5 25. Red2 Rc6 26. Kf2 a4 27. Ke2 f6 28. Ra7 b5
29. e4 Rfc8 30. h4 Rc2 31. Rad7 Rc1 32. Ke3 Rg1 33. R7d5 Rb8 34. Kf4 Rc1 35.
Rd7 b4 36. Ra7 b3 37. Rxa4 Rc2 38. Rad4 Rbc8 39. Ke3 Rc1 40. R4d3 Rb8 41. g4
Rh1 42. h5 Re1+ 43. Kf4 Rc1 44. Rd5 Rc2 45. Ke3 Rc1 46. a4 Ra1 47. Rb5 Rc8 48.
Rd4 Re1+ 49. Kf4 Rc2 50. Rxb3 1-0
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.28"]
[Round "9.1"]
[White "Kumar, Nikhil"]
[Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D35"]
[WhiteElo "2076"]
[BlackElo "2442"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "99"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
{Praggnanandhaa was in the lead until this round. However, he suffered a shock
defeat at the hands of Nikhil Kumar. The opening play is surely to be blamed
to some extent.} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 $5 {Playing the Queen's Gambit
Declined. Usually black players are happy to go for the Nimzo Indian. But with
Praggu you can never be certain. He plays what he likes.} 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5
Be7 6. e3 c6 7. Bd3 Nbd7 8. Qc2 {It might make sense to first play Nge2, as
then the queen can be useful on either c2 or d2. In case of the f3-e4 plan, it
could be much better placed on d2.} Nh5 $6 {This is surely a dubious idea. If
Black wants to play this he should insert the moves h6 and Bh4.} (8... h6 9.
Bh4 Nh5 {is the right way to play. In this way the h7 pawn would not be
hanging in many lines.}) 9. Bxe7 Qxe7 10. Nge2 Nhf6 11. O-O Nf8 (11... O-O {
In this position White stands better because he has a clear plan of Nf4, Rae1,
f3 and e4.} 12. Nf4 Re8 13. Rae1 $14) 12. a3 Ne6 13. Rad1 O-O 14. f3 {White
has a clear plan of e4. Praggnanandhaa tries to justify the placement of his
knight on e6 and goes for the c5 break.} c5 $6 (14... Re8 15. e4 $14) 15. dxc5
Qxc5 (15... Nxc5 {also doesn't work.} 16. Nxd5 $1 Nxd5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Rxd5
Qxe3+ 19. Kh1 $16) 16. Nxd5 $1 {White just wins two pawns. The rest is not at
all difficult.} Nxd5 17. Bxh7+ Kh8 18. Qxc5 Nxc5 19. Rxd5 Kxh7 20. Rxc5 {
Praggu fought on, but the writing was already on the wall.} b6 21. Rc2 Ba6 22.
Rd1 Bxe2 23. Rxe2 Rac8 24. Rd7 a5 25. Red2 Rc6 26. Kf2 a4 27. Ke2 f6 28. Ra7 b5
29. e4 Rfc8 30. h4 Rc2 31. Rad7 Rc1 32. Ke3 Rg1 33. R7d5 Rb8 34. Kf4 Rc1 35.
Rd7 b4 36. Ra7 b3 37. Rxa4 Rc2 38. Rad4 Rbc8 39. Ke3 Rc1 40. R4d3 Rb8 41. g4
Rh1 42. h5 Re1+ 43. Kf4 Rc1 44. Rd5 Rc2 45. Ke3 Rc1 46. a4 Ra1 47. Rb5 Rc8 48.
Rd4 Re1+ 49. Kf4 Rc2 50. Rxb3 1-0
The recently begun Quality Chess vlog by Jacob Aagaard and Nikolaos Ntirlis discuss the World Cadet Championships from nine minute onwards and also analyze the game between Praggnanandhaa and Nikhil Kumar.
With 7.5/10, Praggnanandhaa needed to win the final round. He did that in style with a bold pawn sacrifice and slowly grinding his opponent.
[Event "World Cadets Championship U12B"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.2"]
[White "Huang, Andy"]
[Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2152"]
[BlackElo "2442"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Qe2 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. d3 d6 8. c3 h6
9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Ba7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Rfe1 Bxe3 13. fxe3 Na5 14. Bc2 c5 15.
a3 Nc6 16. d4 {Black has comfortably equalized out of the opening. White
doesn't really seem to have any advantage. His e4 pawn could become a weakness
in the future and the bishop on c2 is not very active. A very natural way to
play now would have been Qc7 followed by Ne7-g6. But Praggnanandhaa decides
that he wants to transfer his knight immediately.} Ne7 $5 {Praggu realises
that if he gives up the e-pawn, both of White's doubled e-pawns would be weak.
And this would make it easier for Black to win them.} (16... Qc7 17. d5 Ne7 {
would have been my approach to the position.}) 17. a4 $5 {Huang is not tempted
into taking the pawn.} (17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Nxe5 Qc7 19. Nef3 Ng6 $44 {Black
controls the e5 square and has full compensation for the pawn.}) 17... c4 18.
dxe5 dxe5 19. Nxe5 {Finally Andy takes the pawn. His e-pawns don't look pretty,
but a pawn is a pawn!} Qd6 20. Nef3 Ng6 21. Nd4 Qc5 22. Rf1 Nd7 {The computer
might assess this position as better for White, but I think it is much easier
for Black to play. He is going to put his knight on e5 and centralize his
rooks. The missing pawn is not felt.} 23. Rac1 {Preparing for the b3 break.}
Nde5 24. b3 Bc8 25. h3 Bd7 26. axb5 axb5 27. bxc4 bxc4 {With these exchanges,
Black is now going to get Benko like compensation with his rooks on the open a
and b files.} 28. Ra1 Rfb8 29. Qe1 Ra3 30. Rxa3 Qxa3 31. Qa1 Ra8 32. Qxa3 Rxa3
33. Nb1 Ra2 {Even though Praggnanandhaa is a pawn down, he is the one who is
pressing.} 34. Nd2 Nc6 35. Rc1 Nge5 36. N2f3 f6 37. Nd2 $6 (37. Nxc6 Bxc6 38.
Nxe5 fxe5 $15 {reduces the material on the board, but the pressure is still on.
}) 37... Nxd4 (37... Nd3 38. Bxd3 cxd3 $15 {was stronger.}) 38. exd4 $2 {
The critical mistake of the game.} (38. cxd4 Nd3 39. Bxd3 cxd3 40. Nf3 Ba4 {
And now comes the main difference as compared to the game - the rook on c1
finds itself on an open file!} 41. Rc8+ $1 Kf7 42. Ra8 $11) 38... Nd3 $1 39.
Bxd3 cxd3 40. Nf1 (40. Nf3 Ba4 $17) 40... Ba4 {The d-pawn is going to claim
the life of the knight.} 41. Rb1 d2 42. Ne3 Rc2 $6 (42... Ra3 $1 {was stronger.
} 43. Rb8+ Kf7 44. Rc8 (44. Ra8 Rxc3 $19) 44... Ra1+ 45. Kf2 Re1 $1 {Knight is
taken and the pawn is promoted.}) 43. Nxc2 Bxc2 44. Ra1 d1=Q+ 45. Rxd1 Bxd1 {
This endgame is not so clear. Praggu won it easily, but his opponent didn't
defend it so well. Let's try to dig deeper.} 46. Kf2 Kf7 47. d5 h5 48. g3 f5
49. e5 $2 {The pawns look pretty. That's for sure. But they are weak and ready
to fall!} (49. Ke3 $1 Kf6 50. Kd4 fxe4 51. Kxe4 Bc2+ 52. Kd4 g5 53. h4 $1 $11 {
This should be a draw.}) 49... Bb3 $1 50. d6 Ke6 51. Ke3 g5 52. h4 (52. Kd4 Ba4
53. c4 Be8 54. c5 Bc6 $19 {White has run out of moves and will lose all his
pawns.}) 52... g4 53. Kf4 Ba4 54. Kg5 Kxe5 55. Kxh5 Kf6 $1 56. c4 Be8+ 57. Kh6
f4 {A fine win for Praggnanandhaa who showcased excellent middlegame skills.}
0-1
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.2"]
[White "Huang, Andy"]
[Black "Praggnanandhaa, R."]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C77"]
[WhiteElo "2152"]
[BlackElo "2442"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "114"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Qe2 b5 6. Bb3 Bc5 7. d3 d6 8. c3 h6
9. O-O O-O 10. Be3 Ba7 11. Nbd2 Bb7 12. Rfe1 Bxe3 13. fxe3 Na5 14. Bc2 c5 15.
a3 Nc6 16. d4 {Black has comfortably equalized out of the opening. White
doesn't really seem to have any advantage. His e4 pawn could become a weakness
in the future and the bishop on c2 is not very active. A very natural way to
play now would have been Qc7 followed by Ne7-g6. But Praggnanandhaa decides
that he wants to transfer his knight immediately.} Ne7 $5 {Praggu realises
that if he gives up the e-pawn, both of White's doubled e-pawns would be weak.
And this would make it easier for Black to win them.} (16... Qc7 17. d5 Ne7 {
would have been my approach to the position.}) 17. a4 $5 {Huang is not tempted
into taking the pawn.} (17. dxe5 dxe5 18. Nxe5 Qc7 19. Nef3 Ng6 $44 {Black
controls the e5 square and has full compensation for the pawn.}) 17... c4 18.
dxe5 dxe5 19. Nxe5 {Finally Andy takes the pawn. His e-pawns don't look pretty,
but a pawn is a pawn!} Qd6 20. Nef3 Ng6 21. Nd4 Qc5 22. Rf1 Nd7 {The computer
might assess this position as better for White, but I think it is much easier
for Black to play. He is going to put his knight on e5 and centralize his
rooks. The missing pawn is not felt.} 23. Rac1 {Preparing for the b3 break.}
Nde5 24. b3 Bc8 25. h3 Bd7 26. axb5 axb5 27. bxc4 bxc4 {With these exchanges,
Black is now going to get Benko like compensation with his rooks on the open a
and b files.} 28. Ra1 Rfb8 29. Qe1 Ra3 30. Rxa3 Qxa3 31. Qa1 Ra8 32. Qxa3 Rxa3
33. Nb1 Ra2 {Even though Praggnanandhaa is a pawn down, he is the one who is
pressing.} 34. Nd2 Nc6 35. Rc1 Nge5 36. N2f3 f6 37. Nd2 $6 (37. Nxc6 Bxc6 38.
Nxe5 fxe5 $15 {reduces the material on the board, but the pressure is still on.
}) 37... Nxd4 (37... Nd3 38. Bxd3 cxd3 $15 {was stronger.}) 38. exd4 $2 {
The critical mistake of the game.} (38. cxd4 Nd3 39. Bxd3 cxd3 40. Nf3 Ba4 {
And now comes the main difference as compared to the game - the rook on c1
finds itself on an open file!} 41. Rc8+ $1 Kf7 42. Ra8 $11) 38... Nd3 $1 39.
Bxd3 cxd3 40. Nf1 (40. Nf3 Ba4 $17) 40... Ba4 {The d-pawn is going to claim
the life of the knight.} 41. Rb1 d2 42. Ne3 Rc2 $6 (42... Ra3 $1 {was stronger.
} 43. Rb8+ Kf7 44. Rc8 (44. Ra8 Rxc3 $19) 44... Ra1+ 45. Kf2 Re1 $1 {Knight is
taken and the pawn is promoted.}) 43. Nxc2 Bxc2 44. Ra1 d1=Q+ 45. Rxd1 Bxd1 {
This endgame is not so clear. Praggu won it easily, but his opponent didn't
defend it so well. Let's try to dig deeper.} 46. Kf2 Kf7 47. d5 h5 48. g3 f5
49. e5 $2 {The pawns look pretty. That's for sure. But they are weak and ready
to fall!} (49. Ke3 $1 Kf6 50. Kd4 fxe4 51. Kxe4 Bc2+ 52. Kd4 g5 53. h4 $1 $11 {
This should be a draw.}) 49... Bb3 $1 50. d6 Ke6 51. Ke3 g5 52. h4 (52. Kd4 Ba4
53. c4 Be8 54. c5 Bc6 $19 {White has run out of moves and will lose all his
pawns.}) 52... g4 53. Kf4 Ba4 54. Kg5 Kxe5 55. Kxh5 Kf6 $1 56. c4 Be8+ 57. Kh6
f4 {A fine win for Praggnanandhaa who showcased excellent middlegame skills.}
0-1
For his efforts Praggnanandhaa went back home with a bronze medal, trophy, a diploma and an I phone!
Nikhil Kumar of USA won the gold medal with a solid 9.5/11. He performed at an Elo of 2400+, gaining 175 rating points. Andrew Hong of USA won the silver. Both won an Acer E15 laptop!
Nihal Sarin, who scored 8.5/11, was unlucky that he missed out on a podium finish. He played against almost all the top seeds and finished fourth. His last round win against Javokhir Sindarov in an extremely important game was quite impressive.
[Event "World Cadets Championship U12B"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.5"]
[White "Nihal, Sarin"]
[Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2324"]
[BlackElo "2411"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 e5 4. Bxc4 Nc6 5. Nf3 $1 {Nihal knows his opening
stuff. This is the most challenging move for Black to face.} e4 6. Nfd2 Qg5 7.
Nxe4 Qxg2 8. Ng3 Nf6 9. Bf1 Qd5 10. Nc3 Bb4 11. Bd2 Bxc3 12. bxc3 {The
position resembles a lot like the Chigorin Defence. White has the centre and
the two bishops, but lacks a safe shelter for his king. Black on the other
hand will castle quickly and wait for White to overextend his position, when
his knights will create havoc.} Bg4 $6 (12... O-O {was the better move.}) 13.
Qb3 (13. f3 $1 {This is not such an easy move to see.} Bxf3 (13... Qxf3 $2 14.
Be2 {loses a piece.}) 14. c4 Qe6 $1 (14... Bxd1 15. cxd5 Bf3 16. dxc6 Bxh1 17.
Nxh1 $16 {is almost winning for White.}) 15. Qxf3 Nxd4 16. Qxb7 O-O 17. Bd3 $16
{The computer loves this position for White. He is after all a piece up. But
with the king stranded and all the pawns isolated, it would not be an easy
position to play in a practical game.}) 13... Bf3 14. Qxd5 Nxd5 15. Rg1 {
White has got what he wanted. The queens are off and the king on e1 can start
feeling much safer.} O-O-O 16. Be2 $6 {An unambitious approach. After the
bishops are off the board, White will no longer have the bishop pair and it
would be difficult to advance the central pawns.} (16. Nf5 $1 g6 17. Rg3 Be4 (
17... Bh5 18. Ng7 $1 $16) 18. Nh6 Rhf8 19. f3 Bc2 20. e4 $16 {And the pawn
avalance is going to crush Black.}) 16... Bxe2 17. Nxe2 g6 18. c4 Nb6 19. Rc1
Rhe8 20. f3 f5 21. f4 Nb8 $1 {The knight is going on a long journey to find
the perfect square on e4.} 22. Kf2 N8d7 23. Ng3 Nf6 24. h3 c5 (24... Ne4+ 25.
Nxe4 Rxe4 $15 {is already a difficult position for White to defend. The knight
is clearly superior to the bishop and will soon make its way to e4.}) 25. Ba5
$1 {Not that the complications might end in his favour, but Nihal correctly
decides that, that this is where his chances lie.} (25. d5 $6 Rd6 $17 {In this
closed position, the knights are any day superior to the bishop on d2.}) 25...
cxd4 26. c5 dxe3+ (26... Nbd5 27. Bxd8 Kxd8 28. exd4 Nxf4 $15 {could be a
possible improvement for Black.}) 27. Kf3 Nbd5 28. Bxd8 Rxd8 29. c6 b6 30. Rgd1
Kc7 31. Ne2 Re8 32. Rd3 Re4 33. Ra3 a5 34. Rd3 Nb4 {The fireworks begin from
this point onwards!} 35. Nd4 $1 (35. Nc3 {might have been more precise, but
Nihal was already short of time, so his decision should not be criticised.})
35... Rxf4+ 36. Kg2 Rf2+ (36... Rxd4 37. Rxd4 Nxa2 {Black is down two
exchanges, but has this huge bundle of pawns. The position should be
dynamically equal.}) 37. Kg1 Nfd5 $2 {A very bad move by Sindarov.} (37... Nxd3
38. Nb5+ Kc8 39. Nd6+ Kc7 40. Nb5+ $11 {A draw would have been a logical
result.}) 38. Nb5+ Kc8 39. c7 $1 {Nd6+ is a huge threat. One cannot really say
what the little Uzbek missed.} Ne7 40. Rd8+ Kb7 41. Nd6+ Ka7 42. Rd7 {A
fighting game of chess, that ended well for Nihal, and a heartbreak for
Javokhir.} 1-0
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.5"]
[White "Nihal, Sarin"]
[Black "Sindarov, Javokhir"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D20"]
[WhiteElo "2324"]
[BlackElo "2411"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "83"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e3 e5 4. Bxc4 Nc6 5. Nf3 $1 {Nihal knows his opening
stuff. This is the most challenging move for Black to face.} e4 6. Nfd2 Qg5 7.
Nxe4 Qxg2 8. Ng3 Nf6 9. Bf1 Qd5 10. Nc3 Bb4 11. Bd2 Bxc3 12. bxc3 {The
position resembles a lot like the Chigorin Defence. White has the centre and
the two bishops, but lacks a safe shelter for his king. Black on the other
hand will castle quickly and wait for White to overextend his position, when
his knights will create havoc.} Bg4 $6 (12... O-O {was the better move.}) 13.
Qb3 (13. f3 $1 {This is not such an easy move to see.} Bxf3 (13... Qxf3 $2 14.
Be2 {loses a piece.}) 14. c4 Qe6 $1 (14... Bxd1 15. cxd5 Bf3 16. dxc6 Bxh1 17.
Nxh1 $16 {is almost winning for White.}) 15. Qxf3 Nxd4 16. Qxb7 O-O 17. Bd3 $16
{The computer loves this position for White. He is after all a piece up. But
with the king stranded and all the pawns isolated, it would not be an easy
position to play in a practical game.}) 13... Bf3 14. Qxd5 Nxd5 15. Rg1 {
White has got what he wanted. The queens are off and the king on e1 can start
feeling much safer.} O-O-O 16. Be2 $6 {An unambitious approach. After the
bishops are off the board, White will no longer have the bishop pair and it
would be difficult to advance the central pawns.} (16. Nf5 $1 g6 17. Rg3 Be4 (
17... Bh5 18. Ng7 $1 $16) 18. Nh6 Rhf8 19. f3 Bc2 20. e4 $16 {And the pawn
avalance is going to crush Black.}) 16... Bxe2 17. Nxe2 g6 18. c4 Nb6 19. Rc1
Rhe8 20. f3 f5 21. f4 Nb8 $1 {The knight is going on a long journey to find
the perfect square on e4.} 22. Kf2 N8d7 23. Ng3 Nf6 24. h3 c5 (24... Ne4+ 25.
Nxe4 Rxe4 $15 {is already a difficult position for White to defend. The knight
is clearly superior to the bishop and will soon make its way to e4.}) 25. Ba5
$1 {Not that the complications might end in his favour, but Nihal correctly
decides that, that this is where his chances lie.} (25. d5 $6 Rd6 $17 {In this
closed position, the knights are any day superior to the bishop on d2.}) 25...
cxd4 26. c5 dxe3+ (26... Nbd5 27. Bxd8 Kxd8 28. exd4 Nxf4 $15 {could be a
possible improvement for Black.}) 27. Kf3 Nbd5 28. Bxd8 Rxd8 29. c6 b6 30. Rgd1
Kc7 31. Ne2 Re8 32. Rd3 Re4 33. Ra3 a5 34. Rd3 Nb4 {The fireworks begin from
this point onwards!} 35. Nd4 $1 (35. Nc3 {might have been more precise, but
Nihal was already short of time, so his decision should not be criticised.})
35... Rxf4+ 36. Kg2 Rf2+ (36... Rxd4 37. Rxd4 Nxa2 {Black is down two
exchanges, but has this huge bundle of pawns. The position should be
dynamically equal.}) 37. Kg1 Nfd5 $2 {A very bad move by Sindarov.} (37... Nxd3
38. Nb5+ Kc8 39. Nd6+ Kc7 40. Nb5+ $11 {A draw would have been a logical
result.}) 38. Nb5+ Kc8 39. c7 $1 {Nd6+ is a huge threat. One cannot really say
what the little Uzbek missed.} Ne7 40. Rd8+ Kb7 41. Nd6+ Ka7 42. Rd7 {A
fighting game of chess, that ended well for Nihal, and a heartbreak for
Javokhir.} 1-0
Mrudul Dehankar's performance in the girls under 12 section was praiseworthy. She won the silver medal by scoring 9.0/11, and gained 114 Elo points.
One of Mrudul's excellent qualities is the respect for development, centre control and opening principles in the first phase of the game. You can see that in her battle against Divya in round ten and also in the game below.
[Event "World Cadets Championship U12G"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.2"]
[White "Samadashvili, Martha"]
[Black "Mrudul, Dehankar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B20"]
[WhiteElo "1861"]
[BlackElo "1809"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.2"]
[White "Samadashvili, Martha"]
[Black "Mrudul, Dehankar"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B20"]
[WhiteElo "1861"]
[BlackElo "1809"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "64"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. e4 c5 2. d3 Nc6 3. f4 g6 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. Be2 d6 6. O-O e6 7. c3 Nge7 8. Kh1
O-O {The thing that impressed me most about Mrudul's play is the simplicity
with which she conducts her openings. She develops her pieces, keeps control
of the centre and overall never wastes a move in the first phase of the game.}
9. Qe1 f5 $1 {This is a good idea. The pawn on f4 is fixed and the bishop on
c1 cannot easily take part in the game.} 10. Qh4 fxe4 11. dxe4 d5 12. e5 Nf5
13. Qh3 (13. Qxd8 Rxd8 $11) 13... d4 14. g4 $1 Ne3 $1 {The pawn on e3 might be
lost, but it is important not to retreat.} (14... Nfe7 15. Ng5 h6 16. Ne4 $16)
15. Bxe3 dxe3 16. Ng5 h6 17. Ne4 g5 $1 {White already has the pleasant
position, so it was important to break on the kingside and weaken the e5 pawn.}
18. Qxe3 gxf4 19. Rxf4 Rxf4 20. Qxf4 Nxe5 21. Na3 (21. Nxc5 Qb6 $15) 21... b6
22. Nc4 Ng6 23. Qe3 Bb7 24. Kg1 Bd5 25. Ng3 Qg5 26. Qxg5 hxg5 {This endgame is
pleasant for Black thanks to her bishop pair.} 27. Nh5 Nf4 $1 28. Nxf4 gxf4 {
Black's pawn structure is improved tremendously.} 29. Nd2 Rd8 30. Kf2 e5 31.
Bd3 $2 {A huge blunder that simply ends the game.} (31. Nf3 $1 e4 $6 32. Rd1 $1
$13) 31... Be6 $1 {One of the pieces on the d-file is going to fall.} 32. Bf5
Bxf5 {With this victory, Mrudul claimed the bronze medal.} 0-1
O-O {The thing that impressed me most about Mrudul's play is the simplicity
with which she conducts her openings. She develops her pieces, keeps control
of the centre and overall never wastes a move in the first phase of the game.}
9. Qe1 f5 $1 {This is a good idea. The pawn on f4 is fixed and the bishop on
c1 cannot easily take part in the game.} 10. Qh4 fxe4 11. dxe4 d5 12. e5 Nf5
13. Qh3 (13. Qxd8 Rxd8 $11) 13... d4 14. g4 $1 Ne3 $1 {The pawn on e3 might be
lost, but it is important not to retreat.} (14... Nfe7 15. Ng5 h6 16. Ne4 $16)
15. Bxe3 dxe3 16. Ng5 h6 17. Ne4 g5 $1 {White already has the pleasant
position, so it was important to break on the kingside and weaken the e5 pawn.}
18. Qxe3 gxf4 19. Rxf4 Rxf4 20. Qxf4 Nxe5 21. Na3 (21. Nxc5 Qb6 $15) 21... b6
22. Nc4 Ng6 23. Qe3 Bb7 24. Kg1 Bd5 25. Ng3 Qg5 26. Qxg5 hxg5 {This endgame is
pleasant for Black thanks to her bishop pair.} 27. Nh5 Nf4 $1 28. Nxf4 gxf4 {
Black's pawn structure is improved tremendously.} 29. Nd2 Rd8 30. Kf2 e5 31.
Bd3 $2 {A huge blunder that simply ends the game.} (31. Nf3 $1 e4 $6 32. Rd1 $1
$13) 31... Be6 $1 {One of the pieces on the d-file is going to fall.} 32. Bf5
Bxf5 {With this victory, Mrudul claimed the bronze medal.} 0-1
After a job well done, it was time to relax!
The girls under-12 section gave us more to cheer about. Divya Deshmukh's claim to the gold medal received a setback when she lost against Mrudul in the penulimate round. But like a true champion she fought back and beat her 200 points higher rated opponent Kaiyu Ning from China and won the bronze medal.
[Event "World Cadets Championship U12G"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.3"]
[White "Divya, Deshmukh"]
[Black "Ning, Kaiyu"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C04"]
[WhiteElo "1836"]
[BlackElo "2066"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 6. Nb3 a5 7. Bg5 Be7 8. Bxe7
Qxe7 9. a4 b6 10. Bb5 Na7 11. c3 $5 {A very interesting decision by Divya. She
is fine if Black takes her bishop on b5.} c6 (11... Nxb5 12. axb5 Bb7 $11 {
Should not be a problem for Black, but White isn't complaining either.}) 12.
Bd3 c5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Nxc5 bxc5 15. O-O O-O 16. Qe2 Bb7 {The position is
overall equal. Black has the nice centre, where as White's pieces are well
placed.} 17. Nd2 Rab8 18. f4 g6 19. Nf3 Nc6 20. Qf2 c4 21. Bb1 Ba6 22. Kh1 f5 (
22... f6 $1 $15 {chipping away at White's centre would have been more to the
point.}) 23. exf6 Qxf6 24. Ng5 $6 h6 (24... e5 $1 25. Qc5 Qxg5 $1 26. Qxc6 Bb7
$15) 25. Nf3 Kg7 26. Qc2 Ne7 (26... e5 $1 $17) 27. Re1 Rb6 28. Qf2 Rfb8 29. Nd4
Bc8 (29... Rxb2 30. Nxe6+ Kg8 31. Qd4 $11) 30. Re2 Bd7 31. Ba2 Nf5 $6 {This
forces the white knight to go to f3 and then to the juicy e5 square.} 32. Nf3
Qd8 33. Rae1 {White has suddenly co-ordinated excellently and is clearly
better!} Bxa4 34. Bb1 Qf6 35. g4 Ne7 36. Nd4 Bd7 37. f5 $1 {The kingside
breakthrough was on the cards! Divya doesn't miss it.} gxf5 38. gxf5 e5 (38...
Nxf5 39. Nxf5+ exf5 40. Re7+ $18) 39. Rxe5 Ng8 40. Ne6+ (40. Rxd5 $18) 40...
Bxe6 (40... Kh8 $1 $16) 41. Rxe6 Rxe6 42. Rxe6 Qf7 43. Qg3+ {The rook on b8 is
lost.} 1-0
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.3"]
[White "Divya, Deshmukh"]
[Black "Ning, Kaiyu"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C04"]
[WhiteElo "1836"]
[BlackElo "2066"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "85"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nd2 Nc6 4. Ngf3 Nf6 5. e5 Nd7 6. Nb3 a5 7. Bg5 Be7 8. Bxe7
Qxe7 9. a4 b6 10. Bb5 Na7 11. c3 $5 {A very interesting decision by Divya. She
is fine if Black takes her bishop on b5.} c6 (11... Nxb5 12. axb5 Bb7 $11 {
Should not be a problem for Black, but White isn't complaining either.}) 12.
Bd3 c5 13. dxc5 Nxc5 14. Nxc5 bxc5 15. O-O O-O 16. Qe2 Bb7 {The position is
overall equal. Black has the nice centre, where as White's pieces are well
placed.} 17. Nd2 Rab8 18. f4 g6 19. Nf3 Nc6 20. Qf2 c4 21. Bb1 Ba6 22. Kh1 f5 (
22... f6 $1 $15 {chipping away at White's centre would have been more to the
point.}) 23. exf6 Qxf6 24. Ng5 $6 h6 (24... e5 $1 25. Qc5 Qxg5 $1 26. Qxc6 Bb7
$15) 25. Nf3 Kg7 26. Qc2 Ne7 (26... e5 $1 $17) 27. Re1 Rb6 28. Qf2 Rfb8 29. Nd4
Bc8 (29... Rxb2 30. Nxe6+ Kg8 31. Qd4 $11) 30. Re2 Bd7 31. Ba2 Nf5 $6 {This
forces the white knight to go to f3 and then to the juicy e5 square.} 32. Nf3
Qd8 33. Rae1 {White has suddenly co-ordinated excellently and is clearly
better!} Bxa4 34. Bb1 Qf6 35. g4 Ne7 36. Nd4 Bd7 37. f5 $1 {The kingside
breakthrough was on the cards! Divya doesn't miss it.} gxf5 38. gxf5 e5 (38...
Nxf5 39. Nxf5+ exf5 40. Re7+ $18) 39. Rxe5 Ng8 40. Ne6+ (40. Rxd5 $18) 40...
Bxe6 (40... Kh8 $1 $16) 41. Rxe6 Rxe6 42. Rxe6 Qf7 43. Qg3+ {The rook on b8 is
lost.} 1-0
It takes nerves of steel to play a game like that in the final round and Divya managed to do just that! A bronze medal was a well deserved prize for her achievement.
Bibisara Assaubayeva was clearly the strongest player in the girls under 12 event with a rating of 2287, and she dominated the field with 10.0/11
The three medal winners in the under-12 section: Dviya Deshmukh, R. Praggnanandhaa and Mrudul Dehankar
V. Pranav made a dash towards the finish line with four consecutive victories in the last four rounds and with a score of 8.5/11 claimed the bronze medal
Pranav is a tenacious fighter and often comes back in tournaments from nowhere. In the last round he showed that patience is a virtue in chess. His opponent Jason Wang was frustrated and threw away the game in just one move.
[Event "World Cadets Championship U10B"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.2"]
[White "Pranav, V."]
[Black "Wang, Jason"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "1994"]
[BlackElo "1999"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.10.30"]
[Round "11.2"]
[White "Pranav, V."]
[Black "Wang, Jason"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B40"]
[WhiteElo "1994"]
[BlackElo "1999"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "135"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. g3 Nc6 4. Bg2 d5 5. exd5 exd5 6. d4 {This was the same
opening that Magnus Carlsen played against Vishy Anand in their World
Championship Match in Sochi.} Bg4 7. O-O cxd4 (7... Nxd4 8. Qe1+ $1 Be7 9. Nxd4
cxd4 10. Qe5 Nf6 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. Nc3 $14) 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nf6 10. Bg5 Be7 {
This has been seen in many top games and the overall conclusion is that Black
should be fine here.} 11. Nd2 O-O 12. Rad1 {Pranav doesn't hurry to recover
his pawn. Instead builds up his position by bringing the pieces to the best
possible squares.} Ne4 $6 (12... Rc8 {was better with an equal position.}) 13.
Bxe7 Nxd2 14. Rxd2 Qxe7 15. Qxd5 Qb4 16. Rdd1 (16. Rfd1 Qxb2 17. Qb3 $1 Qxb3
18. cxb3 Rac8 19. Bxc6 Rxc6 20. Rxd4 b6 $11) 16... Rad8 $6 (16... Qxb2 {
should have been tried.} 17. Rb1 Qxc2 18. Rxb7 Rac8 $11 {I don't think Black
can really be worse here. White will recover his pawn and the game would most
probably end in a draw.}) 17. Qb3 Qxb3 18. axb3 {Now this is unpleasant
endgame for Black. The bishop is clearly superior to the knight and the
pressure can be mounted on the d4 pawn.} Rfe8 19. Rd2 Re7 20. Rfd1 Red7 21. Kh2
Kf8 22. g4 Rd6 23. Kg3 Ke7 24. f4 Kd7 25. h4 Kc7 26. Re1 R8d7 27. Bf1 a6 28.
Bd3 g6 29. Kf3 Nb4 30. Be4 Re7 31. Red1 Red7 32. Kg3 Nc6 33. Bf3 Na5 34. Bg2 d3
$6 {Black gets ambitious and hence loses his patience.} 35. Rxd3 Rxd3+ 36. Rxd3
Re7 $16 {White is a clear pawn up and faced no difficulties in converting this
position.} (36... Rxd3+ 37. cxd3 Nxb3 38. Bd5 {This is the move that Wang must
have missed as after} Nc1 39. Bxf7 Nxd3 40. g5 $18 {followed by f5 and h5,
White is clearly winning.}) 37. Kf2 Nc6 38. Bf3 Nb4 39. Rd4 Nc6 40. Rd2 Nb4 41.
c3 Nc6 42. b4 Nb8 43. g5 {Fixing the opponent's pawn on light squares.} Nd7 44.
Re2 Rxe2+ 45. Kxe2 Nb6 46. Kd3 Nc8 47. Bd5 Nd6 48. c4 b6 49. c5 bxc5 50. bxc5
Nf5 51. Bxf7 Nxh4 52. Bg8 Nf5 53. Bxh7 Ne7 54. Kc4 {White has won the second
pawn.} Kc6 55. b4 Kd7 56. Kb3 Kc6 57. f5 Nxf5 58. Bxg6 Nd4+ 59. Kc4 Ne6 60.
Be4+ Kc7 61. g6 Ng7 62. Kd5 Kd7 63. Ke5 Ke7 64. Bd3 Ne8 65. Bxa6 Nf6 66. Bc4
Nd7+ 67. Kf5 Kf8 68. Be6 {A fine win for Pranav, thereby securing his bronze
medal.} 1-0
opening that Magnus Carlsen played against Vishy Anand in their World
Championship Match in Sochi.} Bg4 7. O-O cxd4 (7... Nxd4 8. Qe1+ $1 Be7 9. Nxd4
cxd4 10. Qe5 Nf6 11. Qxd4 O-O 12. Nc3 $14) 8. h3 Bxf3 9. Qxf3 Nf6 10. Bg5 Be7 {
This has been seen in many top games and the overall conclusion is that Black
should be fine here.} 11. Nd2 O-O 12. Rad1 {Pranav doesn't hurry to recover
his pawn. Instead builds up his position by bringing the pieces to the best
possible squares.} Ne4 $6 (12... Rc8 {was better with an equal position.}) 13.
Bxe7 Nxd2 14. Rxd2 Qxe7 15. Qxd5 Qb4 16. Rdd1 (16. Rfd1 Qxb2 17. Qb3 $1 Qxb3
18. cxb3 Rac8 19. Bxc6 Rxc6 20. Rxd4 b6 $11) 16... Rad8 $6 (16... Qxb2 {
should have been tried.} 17. Rb1 Qxc2 18. Rxb7 Rac8 $11 {I don't think Black
can really be worse here. White will recover his pawn and the game would most
probably end in a draw.}) 17. Qb3 Qxb3 18. axb3 {Now this is unpleasant
endgame for Black. The bishop is clearly superior to the knight and the
pressure can be mounted on the d4 pawn.} Rfe8 19. Rd2 Re7 20. Rfd1 Red7 21. Kh2
Kf8 22. g4 Rd6 23. Kg3 Ke7 24. f4 Kd7 25. h4 Kc7 26. Re1 R8d7 27. Bf1 a6 28.
Bd3 g6 29. Kf3 Nb4 30. Be4 Re7 31. Red1 Red7 32. Kg3 Nc6 33. Bf3 Na5 34. Bg2 d3
$6 {Black gets ambitious and hence loses his patience.} 35. Rxd3 Rxd3+ 36. Rxd3
Re7 $16 {White is a clear pawn up and faced no difficulties in converting this
position.} (36... Rxd3+ 37. cxd3 Nxb3 38. Bd5 {This is the move that Wang must
have missed as after} Nc1 39. Bxf7 Nxd3 40. g5 $18 {followed by f5 and h5,
White is clearly winning.}) 37. Kf2 Nc6 38. Bf3 Nb4 39. Rd4 Nc6 40. Rd2 Nb4 41.
c3 Nc6 42. b4 Nb8 43. g5 {Fixing the opponent's pawn on light squares.} Nd7 44.
Re2 Rxe2+ 45. Kxe2 Nb6 46. Kd3 Nc8 47. Bd5 Nd6 48. c4 b6 49. c5 bxc5 50. bxc5
Nf5 51. Bxf7 Nxh4 52. Bg8 Nf5 53. Bxh7 Ne7 54. Kc4 {White has won the second
pawn.} Kc6 55. b4 Kd7 56. Kb3 Kc6 57. f5 Nxf5 58. Bxg6 Nd4+ 59. Kc4 Ne6 60.
Be4+ Kc7 61. g6 Ng7 62. Kd5 Kd7 63. Ke5 Ke7 64. Bd3 Ne8 65. Bxa6 Nf6 66. Bc4
Nd7+ 67. Kf5 Kf8 68. Be6 {A fine win for Pranav, thereby securing his bronze
medal.} 1-0
Ilya Makoveev from Russia won the gold, Vietnam's Nguyen Quoc Hy went back with the silver and it was bronze for India's V. Pranav
The four Indian champions (Divya, Praggu, Pranav and Mrudul) with coach Mrunalini Kunte
What is celebration without friends!
Player overview for IND in World Cadets 2016
| SNo | Name | Rtg | FED | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pts. | Rk. | Group | |
| 1 | IM | Praggnanandhaa R | 2442 | IND | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 8,5 | 3 | Open U12 |
| 5 | FM | Nihal Sarin | 2324 | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 8,5 | 4 | Open U12 |
| 8 | Dhanush Bharadwaj | 2232 | IND | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 7,0 | 21 | Open U12 | |
| 63 | CM | Karthik Kumar Pradeep | 1873 | IND | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 5,5 | 64 | Open U12 |
| 64 | CM | Kushagra Mohan | 1872 | IND | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 7,0 | 24 | Open U12 |
| 117 | Chiranjan Kumarr K S | 1339 | IND | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4,0 | 116 | Open U12 | |
| 5 | CM | Aditya Mittal | 2144 | IND | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 7,5 | 14 | Open U10 |
| 6 | CM | Mendonca Leon Luke | 2133 | IND | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 8,0 | 8 | Open U10 |
| 10 | Pranav V | 1994 | IND | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 8,5 | 3 | Open U10 | |
| 77 | Hriday Dharmesh Sheth | 1491 | IND | 0 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 5,5 | 76 | Open U10 | |
| 48 | Kadakia Veer | 1273 | IND | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 6,5 | 32 | Open U08 | |
| 52 | Bhagat Kush | 1263 | IND | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 6,5 | 42 | Open U08 | |
| 60 | Vidit Jain | 1236 | IND | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,0 | 82 | Open U08 | |
| 64 | Midilesh Ms | 1214 | IND | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 6,5 | 36 | Open U08 | |
| 67 | Swayham P Das | 1198 | IND | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 6,5 | 37 | Open U08 | |
| 77 | Aryan Surya S A | 1026 | IND | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | 3,5 | 126 | Open U08 | |
| 3 | Rakshitta Ravi | 2068 | IND | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 6,5 | 20 | Girls U12 | |
| 16 | WFM | Divya Deshmukh | 1836 | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8,5 | 3 | Girls U12 |
| 19 | WCM | Mrudul Dehankar | 1809 | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 9,0 | 2 | Girls U12 |
| 22 | Ananya Rishi Gupta | 1788 | IND | 1 | ½ | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,0 | 61 | Girls U12 | |
| 34 | Adane Narayani | 1688 | IND | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6,5 | 29 | Girls U12 | |
| 44 | WCM | Wankhade Sanskruti | 1344 | IND | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 7,5 | 10 | Girls U10 |
| 65 | Darsana M S | 1256 | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 1 | 0 | ½ | ½ | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6,5 | 24 | Girls U10 | |
| 67 | Vishwa Vasnawala | 1240 | IND | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 1 | 8,0 | 8 | Girls U10 | |
| 18 | WCM | Shefali A N | 1165 | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6,0 | 34 | Girls U08 |
| 25 | Rout Yashita | 1105 | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 7,0 | 16 | Girls U08 | |
| 30 | Valety Swetha | 1038 | IND | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | ½ | 5,5 | 48 | Girls U08 | |
| 33 | Falak Joni Naik | 1024 | IND | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 0 | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6,0 | 31 | Girls U08 |
Complete pairings, standings, and results of all categories
Sanskruti Wankhade played well in the under 10 girls section and finished tenth
Vishwa Vasnawala with her father. The little girl scored 8.0/11 and finished eighth in the under-8 girls section.
Leon Mendonca started off badly, but recovered well and drew his last round with the eventual gold medal winner, and finished eighth
Ananya Gupta with her father Rishi Gupta. Ananya didn't have a particularly successful event, but her mother summed up the spirit of "Gens una sumus" (we are one people) in her Facebook post:
Aditya Mittal with his mother Kusum Mittal. Aditya was one of the top seeds in the under- 10 event. Hence, he wouldn't be particuarly happy with his 14th place, but this experience will help him become stronger. Did you know Aditya is an excellent singer. Check out this video where he sings the song Raise me up!
In such junior events, the role of the coach is crucial. Apart from giving chess related advice, you have to make sure that the little kids are in the best possible frame of mind. Congratulations to the coach of the Indian team Mrunalini Kunte for this performance and we thank her for sending us beautiful pictures used in this and previous reports.
2016 vs 2015
That's how team India fared this year! The gold medal was missing, but we were the contingent that won the maximum number of medals. This year the World Championships were broken into two events: World Youth (under 14,16,18) in Khanty Mansisyk, Russia and World Cadets (under-8,10,12) in Georgia, Batumi. Akanksha Hagawane was the only Indian to win a medal in the World Youth. She won the gold in the under-16 girls. This means that in all we won five medals this year.
This is less than half of what we won last year. In the World Youth 2015 we came back with 11 medals.
A jubiliant team in 2015
So what were the reasons that Indian team couldn't come back with more medals? We asked India's super coach R.B. Ramesh and these were his pointers:
1. R. Vaishali, instead of playing in girls under-16, played in boys under-18 category
2. Bharath Subramaniyam, who had won a gold in open under-8 last year, didn't play this year.
3. Previous medal winners were in playing in the higher category. For eg. Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin who are eleven played in under-12.
4. It's not necessary that same country should keep winning most medals every year. In 2014 we didn't win as many as we did in 2015!
We must not forget the achievement of S.L. Narayanan who won the bronze medal in World Juniors 2016. Thus the youth events for 2016 come to an end. With so much talent in our country, 2017 will only get better!