1st SOA GM 2024 R1-5: Teenagers Goutham Krishna H and Vignesh Advaith Vemula are the coleaders

by R Anantharam - 01/02/2024

Teenagers FM Goutham Krishna H and Vignesh Advaith Vemula have emerged coleaders 4.5/5 at the halfway mark of 1st SOA GM 2024. They will inevitably face each other in the sixth round. Eight players including the top seed, GM Diptayan Ghosh are in pursuit at 4/5 each. Goutham defeated GM Adham Fawzy (EGY) to stay in the lead. Vignesh got the better of Subhayan Kundu to be the coleader. The total prize fund of the tournament is ₹3500000, ₹2000000 for Category A. The top three prizes are ₹300000, ₹200000 and ₹150000 along with a trophy each. Today is the last double round of the event. Round 6 starts at 10 a.m. IST. Photos: IA R Anantharam

Eight in pursuit

13-year-old Goutham Krishna H of Kerala and 14-year-old Vignesh Advaith Vemula of Telangana surged to the forefront ahead of several Grandmasters and International Masters, at the half way stage of the 1st SOA International Grandmaster A category tournament at the SOA University campus, Bhubaneswar. In the fifth round, they defeated GM Adham Fawzy (EGY) and Subhayan Kundu of West Bengal respectively to share the lead with 4.5 points each. They are followed by three GMs, four IMs and one CM with four points each.

Goutham Krishna H upset GM Adham Fawzy (EGY) to share the lead after five rounds

Both Goutham and Fawzy committed errors in the King's Indian Defence opening and also the middlegame. In the materialwise equal endgame, Goutham’s tactical exchange of his knight for a bishop led to the loss of Adham’s knight. Adham had no other way than to surrender.

In the Najdorf variation of the Sicilian Defence, Vignesh launched a fierce attack in the West Bengal’s Subhayan camp. Subhayan retaliated with counter attack but he had to lose his bishop and the game in the ensuing battle. The win by Vignesh is not a flash in the pan, as he has already beaten two IMs and drawn with the third in five rounds, gaining 158 points so far.

Vignesh Advaith Vemula is in fine nick with series of upset wins

In a long drawn battle arising out of King's Indian Defence, the Filipino Grandmaster Jayson Gonzales lost in the fourth round to Priansh Das of Odisha, rated more than 450 points below him. After Priansh exchanged his queen for a rook and bishop, Jayson went for an unwarranted exchange sacrifice, which slowly paved way for the former’s victory. The three connected pawns of Priansh dealt a blow to Jayson ultimately.

GM Jayson Gonzales of Philippines lost to Priansh Das of Odisha in the fourth round

Kolkata IM Neelash Saha's sacrifice galore fetched him a point against WFM Nilssen Ellen Fredericia of Denmark in the same round.

Sacrifice galore by IM Neelash Saha against WFM Ellen Fredericia Nilssen (DEN)

In a third round miniature game of Queen's Gambit Declined, Kerala boy - Goutham Krishna H received a gift from Odisha IM Sambit Panda through a simple blunder by the latter.

IM Sambit Panda gifted a point to Goutham through a simple blunder

The International Naster Arash Tahbaz (IRI) unleashed a series of good moves against GM Laxman R R in the third round to win in 24 moves.

Iran IM Arash Tahbaz produced some good moves to beat GM Laxman R R

GM Adham Fawzy (EGY) won the knight ending comfortably using outside passer pawn against WGM Janelle Mae Frayna (PHI) in the second round.

GM Fawzy Adham defeated WGM Janelle Mae Frayna (PHI)

GM Sayantan Das of Railways lost a second round rook and pawn ending against WFM Ellen Fredericia Nilssen (DEN) in the second round, which could have been easily drawn. His miscalculation of making a king move backfired and he lost after 73 moves.

WFM Ellen Nilssen (DEN) upset GM Sayantan Das in the second round

Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi of Maharashtra capitalised on a few weak moves by the multiple Indian GM tournaments winner Boris Savchenko (RUS) to gain two pawns. Dalvi forced the queen exchange on the 53rd move and won the game with the connected pawns.

Aakash Shardchandra Dalvi of Maharashtra had a good win over GM Boris Savchenko in the second round

Though Grandmaster Alexei Fedorov (BLR) who won three Tamil Nadu IM closed circuit tournaments recently, was exchange up against Kerala’s Nithin Babu, he could not stop the connected pawns of the latter. Alexei resigned in 35 moves.

Nithin Babu of Kerala has fantastic performances against GMs and IMs recently. The win against GM Alexei Fedorov is an example

Top seed Diptayan Ghosh of West Bengal won the rook and pawn ending against John Veny Akkarakaran of Kerala in 74 moves in the first round. Later, he was held to draw by his city mate GM Saptarshi RoyChoudhary and GM Van Huy Nguyen (VIE) in the second and fourth round respectively.

Top seeded GM Diptayan Ghosh of West Bengal got the better of John Veny Akkarakaran of Kerala in the first round

Mr. Ranendra Pratap Swain, Minister for Agriculture, Odisha government inaugurated the tournament in presence of Mr. Tusharkanti Behera, Minister for Sports, Prof. P. K. Nanda, Vice Chancellor, SOA University, Prof. Jyoti Ranjan Das, Dean SOA University.

Inauguration ceremony

Replay Round 1-5 games

Round 5 results

Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Name	Rtg	Club/City	No.	PGN
1	19	FM	Ayush, Sharma	2378	Madhya Pradesh	3½	½ - ½	3½	IM	Tahbaz, Arash	2425	Iran	9	PGN
2	16	IM	Audi, Ameya	2385	Goa	3½	½ - ½	3½	CM	Soham, Kamotra	2348	Jammu and Kashmir	25	PGN
3	17		Subhayan, Kundu	2385	West Bengal	3½	0 - 1	3½		Vignesh, Advaith Vemula	2028	Telangana	58	PGN
4	30	FM	Goutham, Krishna H	2288	Kerala	3½	1 - 0	3	GM	Fawzy, Adham	2522	Egypt	2	PGN
5	1	GM	Ghosh, Diptayan	2568	West Bengal	3	1 - 0	3	IM	Rajesh, V A V	2331	Tamil Nadu	27	PGN
6	41	AGM	Aquino, Jethro Dino	2166	Philippines	3	0 - 1	3	GM	Das, Sayantan	2514	West Bengal	3	PGN
7	43	FM	Dhananjay, S	2151	Chhattisgarh	3	½ - ½	3	IM	Neelash, Saha	2446	West Bengal	6	PGN
8	88		Priansh, Das	1910	Odisha	3	½ - ½	3	IM	Panda, Sambit	2404	Odisha	14	PGN
9	15	IM	Ritviz, Parab	2391	Goa	3	1 - 0	3		Nikhil, M	1900	Andhra Pradesh	92	PGN
10	90		Jake, Shanty	1903	Kerala	3	0 - 1	3	GM	Nguyen, Van Huy	2364	Vietnam	22	PGN

Details

Standings after Round 5

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	30	FM	Goutham, Krishna H	IND	2288	Kerala	4,5	13,5	16	14,00
2	58		Vignesh, Advaith Vemula	IND	2028	Telangana	4,5	13	15,5	13,50
3	1	GM	Ghosh, Diptayan	IND	2568	West Bengal	4	14	17	13,25
4	16	IM	Audi, Ameya	IND	2385	Goa	4	14	16	11,75
5	9	IM	Tahbaz, Arash	IRI	2425	Iran	4	14	15	10,75
6	25	CM	Soham, Kamotra	IND	2348	Jammu and Kashmir	4	12,5	14,5	11,00
7	19	FM	Ayush, Sharma	IND	2378	Madhya Pradesh	4	12,5	13	9,50
8	22	GM	Nguyen, Van Huy	VIE	2364	Vietnam	4	12	14	10,50
9	15	IM	Ritviz, Parab	IND	2391	Goa	4	11,5	13,5	10,75
10	3	GM	Das, Sayantan	IND	2514	West Bengal	4	10	11	8,00
11	14	IM	Panda, Sambit	IND	2404	Odisha	3,5	14,5	16,5	10,25
12	17		Subhayan, Kundu	IND	2385	West Bengal	3,5	13,5	15	9,75
13	6	IM	Neelash, Saha	IND	2446	West Bengal	3,5	12,5	15	10,50
14	43	FM	Dhananjay, S	IND	2151	Chhattisgarh	3,5	12,5	14,5	9,25
15	31	GM	Roy Chowdhury, Saptarshi	IND	2233	West Bengal	3,5	12,5	14	9,00
16	38		Nithin, Babu	IND	2177	Kerala	3,5	12	13	7,50
17	88		Priansh, Das	IND	1910	Odisha	3,5	11	12	7,25
18	4	GM	Savchenko, Boris	RUS	2489	Russia	3,5	10,5	12,5	8,25
	23	IM	Shahil, Dey	IND	2363	Assam	3,5	10,5	12,5	8,25
20	34		Dere, Pushkar	IND	2191	Maharashtra	3,5	10	11,5	7,50

Details

Round 6 pairings

Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	Pts.		Name	Rtg	Club/City	No.
1	58		Vignesh, Advaith Vemula	2028	Telangana	4½	4½	FM	Goutham, Krishna H	2288	Kerala	30
2	1	GM	Ghosh, Diptayan	2568	West Bengal	4	4	IM	Audi, Ameya	2385	Goa	16
3	3	GM	Das, Sayantan	2514	West Bengal	4	4	FM	Ayush, Sharma	2378	Madhya Pradesh	19
4	22	GM	Nguyen, Van Huy	2364	Vietnam	4	4	IM	Tahbaz, Arash	2425	Iran	9
5	25	CM	Soham, Kamotra	2348	Jammu and Kashmir	4	4	IM	Ritviz, Parab	2391	Goa	15
6	4	GM	Savchenko, Boris	2489	Russia	3½	3½	FM	Dhananjay, S	2151	Chhattisgarh	43
7	6	IM	Neelash, Saha	2446	West Bengal	3½	3½		Priansh, Das	1910	Odisha	88
8	14	IM	Panda, Sambit	2404	Odisha	3½	3½	GM	Roy Chowdhury, Saptarshi	2233	West Bengal	31
9	34		Dere, Pushkar	2191	Maharashtra	3½	3½		Subhayan, Kundu	2385	West Bengal	17
10	38		Nithin, Babu	2177	Kerala	3½	3½	IM	Shahil, Dey	2363	Assam	23

Details

About the Author

Prof. Rathinam Anantharam is an A-grade international arbiter. Member of FIDE Arbiters’ Commission, Chairman of Titles Commission in All India Chess Federation, Vice President of Tamil Nadu State Chess Association, Chief Arbiter for six world championships, many Asian, International and National Championships.

The report was edited by Shahid Ahmed

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