Sarbartho on a hot streak
FM Sarbartho Mani is playing some excellent chess at the 1st Chola Chess International Grandmasters Tournament. Sarbartho started the tournament with a first-round win over IM Shahil Dey. In the second round, he faced GM Dimitris Alexakis, and guess what he did? He played 1.e4 c5, 2.Be2! A very surprising move for me, GM RB Ramesh, and also for his opponent, as he took almost 13 minutes to respond to this move.
This plan backfired in the middlegame, and Sarbartho was in serious trouble, but eventually he managed to win this nice game to score his 1st ever win against a Grandmaster in classical chess.
When I talked to Sarbartho after his second-round win, I was impressed by his love for the game. The position was pretty bad, and he realized that, but he was setting up small traps, and eventually it paid off. Sarbartho also talked about his Calculation speed; for me, it's insane how a 10-year-old can calculate that much and that fast.
Position after 33.h5
Dimitris played a very strange 33.h5, and here Sarbartho found a beautiful combination with white pieces to simplify the position and win the game. Can you find it? If not, then check out the game below.
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Important Results of Round 2
Find the best move
GM Iniyan Panneerselvam vs. FM John Veny Akkarakaran
Solve Tactics from this tournament on Chessranga
Round 2 Recap
The Recap of Round 2 by GM R.B. Ramesh will be available soon on ChessBase India YouTube and here for you!
Round 2 Results
Bo. | White | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Black | Rtg | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GM | 2677 | 1 | 1 - 0 | 1 | GM | 2470 | ||
2 | GM | 2492 | 1 | ½ - ½ | 1 | GM | 2674 | ||
3 | GM | 2647 | 1 | 1 - 0 | 1 | IM | 2454 | ||
4 | IM | 2446 | 1 | 0 - 1 | 1 | GM | 2629 | ||
5 | GM | 2613 | 1 | 1 - 0 | 1 | GM | 2416 | ||
6 | FM | 2391 | 1 | 0 - 1 | 1 | GM | 2581 | ||
7 | FM | 2327 | 1 | 0 - 1 | 1 | GM | 2562 | ||
8 | GM | 2557 | 1 | ½ - ½ | 1 | GM | 2393 | ||
9 | FM | 2311 | 1 | 1 - 0 | 1 | GM | 2536 | ||
10 | FM | 2301 | 1 | 1 - 0 | 1 | IM | 2525 |
Round 3 Preview
In the second round, Aravindh is going to face the reigning National Champion, Iniyan Panneerselvam, on the top board. On the second board, Karthikeyan Murali is facing Surya Shekhar Ganguly with black pieces. In another exciting game, Sarbartho Mani is facing Samvel Ter-Sahakyan. The 3rd round will start at 2 PM IST on 1st November 2026. Catch the live commentary on Chola Chess YT or RB Ramesh YT Channels.
Round 3 Pairings
Bo. | White | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Black | Rtg | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | GM | 2581 | 2 | 2 | GM | 2677 | |||
2 | GM | 2562 | 2 | 2 | GM | 2647 | |||
3 | GM | 2629 | 2 | 2 | GM | 2523 | |||
4 | FM | 2311 | 2 | 2 | GM | 2613 | |||
5 | GM | 2674 | 1½ | 2 | FM | 2301 | |||
6 | GM | 2492 | 1½ | 1½ | GM | 2574 | |||
7 | FM | 2326 | 1½ | 1½ | GM | 2557 | |||
8 | GM | 2393 | 1½ | 1½ | GM | 2540 | |||
9 | WIM | 2288 | 1½ | 1½ | GM | 2529 | |||
10 | GM | 2511 | 1½ | 1½ | GM | 2435 |
Live Stream
Photos and Videos
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Venue: Welcomhotel by ITC
Live Coverage
Games, Videos and Much MorePlaying Schedule
Playing Field
34 Grandmasters, 3 Woman Grandmasters, 21 International Masters, 3 Woman International Masters, 22 FIDE Masters, 2 FIDE Masters, and 1 Candidate Master are taking part in this 9-Day 9-Round Classical FIDE Rating Chess Tournament. The time control is 90 Min /40 Move + 30 min/end + 30 sec per move, starting from move 1.
Important Links
Chola Chess: Official Site, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube
Regulations, Results and Standings, Tournament Details, Live Coverage
