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3rd Maharashtra GM R3-4: Nitish Belurkar emerges sole leader

by Shahid Ahmed - 22/04/2025

IM Nitish Belurkar won both of his games to emerge sole leader 4/4 at 3rd Maharashtra GM 2025. FM Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi scored a fantastic win over GM Boris Savchenko to cross 2400 in the live ratings and become the latest International Master of India. Aakash later lost to Nitish in Round 4 in a wild game. Nitish and Aakash's coleader - GM Venkatesh M R drew with GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM) to move to 3.5/4. Six players are trailing Nitish by a half point. They are - GM Sandipan Chanda, GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO), IM Ayush Sharma, GM Deepan Chakkravarthy, Venkatesh and IM Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh. Round 5 starts tomorrow at 3 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi becomes India's latest International Master

IM Nitish Belurkar won four games in-a-row to gain sole lead

Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi became the latest International Master

Round 3: Aakash Dalvi and Nitish Belurkar score huge upsets

Final moments: GM Sandipan Chanda - IM Padmini Rout | Video: ChessBase India

GM Sandipan Chanda had a well contested draw against IM Padmini Rout

Maksim - Ayush

Position after 40.Qc2

IM Ayush Sharma (2485) should have played 36...Rd8 and kept his d5-pawn defended. Anyway, he still had a good chance to win in the above position. White is threatening to take the f5-pawn, hence 40.Qc2. 40...Rf8 is what Black needed to play instead of the 40...Rh1+ where Black rushed things. 41.Bxh1 Qxh1+ 42.Ke2 IM Maksim Schekachikin (2370). Soon White got a winning opportunity. However, he also missed his chance and the game ended in a draw.

IM Ayush Sharma had an exciting battle against IM Maksim Schekachikin. It could have gone either player's way

Aakash - Savchenko: 1-0

GM Boris Savchenko (2459) was nice enough to not start the clock as his opponent was running late. After insisting on waiting, instead of starting the clock, arbiter did not pay heed to Savchenko's nice gesture and instead decided to start the clock as per the rules. FM Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi (2366) arrived on the board with a mission to score a big win and he did manage to achieve that.

Position after 21.Rg1

Black misplaced his queen at h3 and got into deep trouble. 21...Qh3?? 22.Rg3 Qg5 23.Rxg7 0-0-0 24.Rxb7! What an excellent sacrifice. Black cannot take it, as he loses in all possible variations. Try to calculate them all. So, he went 24...Qxd1+ 25.Qxd1 Kxb7 although Black got two rooks for his queen, his king was far too exposed to prolong the inevitable. 26.Qb1+ Kc8 27.c5 Rd7 28.Bxc6 and White won the game in the next few moves.

Interview with India's latest IM - Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi | Video: ChessBase India

FM Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi scored a huge upset over GM Boris Savchenko

Nitish - Marat

Position after 14.Nc3

GM Marat Dzhumaev (UZB, 2352) made the big mistake of playing 14...cxd4?? IM Nitish Belurkar correctly spotted 15.Nxd5 d3+ 16.Nxb6 dxe2 17.Nxd7 exf1Q+ 18.Kxf1 Rfd8 19.Bc4+ Kh8 20.e6 Bf6 21.Ng5 Bxb2 22.Nf7+ Kg8 23.Nxd8 Nxd8 Black had no choice but to return the exchange 24.Re1 Nxe6 25.Rxe6 White eventually checkmated the black king.

IM Nitish Belurkar scored a hat-trick nicely to join the three-way lead

GM Venkatesh M R won smoothly against IM Harsh Suresh to score a hat-trick

Arnav Agrawal missed a great opportunity against IM Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh

FM Daaevik Wadhwan had a well contested draw against the top seed - GM Abhijeet Gupta

Arnav - Manuel

Position after 56...d3

Can White save the game? The answer is yes. Try to find out how. Arnav Maheshwari (2305) blundered 57.Re8?? d2+ and Black won the game soon.

Arnav Maheshwari put up a very good fight against GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM)

GM Evgeniy Podolchenko - Akshay Borgaonkar: 0.5-0.5

GM Alexei Fedorov - Aniruddh Potawad: 0-1

IM Sambit Panda - WGM Mary Ann Gomes: 0-1

IM Shahil Dey - Samyak Dharewa: 0-1

CM Chidvilash Sai Surapaneni - IM Subhayan Kundu: 0.5-0.5

GM Karen Grigoryan (ARM) - Siddhant Gawai: 0.5-0.5

FM Ojas Kulkarni - IM Goutham Krishna H: 0.5-0.5

FM Ram Aravind L N - IM Soham Kamotra: 0.5-0.5

FM Mahitosh Dey - IM Sathvik Adiga: 0.5-0.5

IM Srihari L - FM Aditya Varun Gampa: 0.5-0.5

FM John Veny Akkarakaran (pictured) - IM Vikramaditya Kulkarni: 1-0

IM Sanket Chakravarty - CM Dinesh Rajan M: 0.5-0.5

IM Nisha Mohota - WIM Sarayu Velpula: 0-1

Ceremonial first move of Round 3 on top board

Round 4: Nitish beats Aakash in a wild game

Aakash - Nitish

Position after 20...Rb8

In a post-game interview, IM Nitish Belurkar (2441) shared that he was anticipating the Nxe6 sacrifice for quite some time. However, just the moment he stopped expecting it, his opponent, IM Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi (2366) went for it 21.Nxe6! fxe6 22.Rdd7 and then Black replied with his own sacrifice 22...Bxf3!? White needed to take it 23.gxf3 to maintain his upper hand. However, 23.Bxe6+?? Kh8 shifted the scale to Black. 24.gxf3 Bd8 and he went on to win the game comfortably.

Interview with the sole leader - IM Nitish Belurkar | Video: ChessBase India

The two-third of the leaders - IM Aakash Sharadchandra Dalvi and IM Nitish Belurkar had a fantastic battle fit for a top board clash

GM Manuel Petrosyan (ARM) had a quick 17-move draw against GM Venkatesh M R

The fastest draw of the tournament was between IM Maksim Schekachikhin and GM Levan Pantsulaia (GEO) lasting only 10 moves in 8 minutes

A pawn grab in the endgame cost IM N Krishna Teja dearly against GM Sandipan Chanda

Ayush - Gochelashvili

Position after 24...e5??

IM David Gochelashvili (2227) made a positional mistake 24...e5?? Try to think like IM Ayush Sharma (2485) and find out the correct continuation for White which he played in the game.

IM Ayush Sharma - IM David Gochelashvili: 1-0

Anirudhha - Tornike

Position after 44...Bf5

Despite being in driver's seat for the better part of the game, FM Anirudhha Potawad (2306) made an incorrect decision at a comlpex juncture 45.Nxf5?? Qxd2-+ and Black went on to win the game. Instead, 45.Rxd5 Bxe4 46.Rdd7! is how White could have ensured a half point.

FM Anirudhha Potawad could not find the way at a complex position

FM Aanjaneya Phatak had a promising position against GM Deepan Chakkravarthy, then there was a draw until he blundered in the opposite color bishop endgame

GM Abhijeet Gupta - Arnav Agrawal: 0.5-0.5

WIM Sarayu Velpula - GM Stany G A: 0.5-0.5

IM Harsh Suresh - FM Ajay Santhosh Parvathareddy: 0.5-0.5

WGM Mary Ann Gomes (pictured) - FM Harshad S: 0.5-0.5

IM Viani Antonio Dcunha - FM Suyog Wagh (pictured): 0.5-0.5

IM Subhayan Kundu - GM Manik Mikulas: 0.5-0.5

WIM Arpita Mukherjee - GM Marat Dzhumaev (UZB): 0.5-0.5

CM Harshit Ranjan Sahu - GM Karen Grigoryan (ARM): 1-0

IM Goutham Krishna H - Jval Saurin Patel: 0.5-0.5

IM Soham Kamotra - FM Jeet Shah: 0.5-0.5

Siddhant Gawai - GM Alexei Fedorov: 0.5-0.5

IM Hari Madhavan N B - FM Ram Aravind L N: 0.5-0.5

WGM Srija Seshadri - IM Sathvik Adiga: 0.5-0.5

For more Round 3 and 4 photos, please click at the respective links.

Replay Round 3-4 games

Round 4 results

Bo. WhiteTypRtgClub/CityPts.ResultPts.BlackTypRtgClub/City 
1
FMAakash Sharadchandra, Dalvi2366MH30 - 13IMNitish, Belurkar2441GA
2
GMPetrosyan, Manuel2544ARM½ - ½3GMVenkatesh, M.R.2355PSPB
3
IMSchekachikhin, Maksim2370FIDE½ - ½GMPantsulaia, Levan2532GEO
4
IMKrishna Teja, N2321AP0 - 1GMChanda, Sandipan2485WB
5
IMAyush, Sharma2485MP1 - 0IMGochelashvili, David2227RUS
6
IMPadmini, Rout2354PSPB½ - ½IMNeelash, Saha2460RSPB
7
FMPotawad, Anirudhha2306MH0 - 1GMSanikidze, Tornike2448GEO
8
Phatak, Aanjaneya2204MH NG0 - 1GMDeepan, Chakkravarthy J.2394RSPB
9
IMMohammad, Nubairshah Shaikh2370MH1 - 0Samyak, Dharewa2209WB
10
GMGupta, Abhijeet2576PSPB2½ - ½Arnav, Agrawal2194UP
11
GMSavchenko, Boris2459RUS2½ - ½2FMJohn, Veny Akkarakaran2350KL
12
WIMVelpula, Sarayu2302TG2½ - ½2GMStany, G.A.2454KA
13
FMBorgaonkar, Akshay2418MH21 - 02FMDaaevik, Wadhawan2311DL
14
IMLiyanage, Ranindu Dilshan2398SRI20 - 12GMPodolchenko, Evgeniy2307BLR
15
IMUtsab, Chatterjee2299WB2½ - ½2IMPanda, Sambit2391OD
16
IMSammed Jaykumar, Shete2391MH21 - 02FMNagarkatte, Vedant2296MH
17
IMHarsh, Suresh2389TN2½ - ½2FMAjay, Santhosh Parvathareddy2295UP
18
WGMGomes, Mary Ann2284PSPB2½ - ½2FMHarshad, S2388TN
19
IMViani, Antonio Dcunha2378KA20 - 12FMWagh, Suyog2289MH
20
FMDhananjay, S2250CG20 - 12GMNguyen, Van Huy2363VIE
Details

Standings after Round 4

Rk.SNo NameTypsexGrFEDRtgClub/CityPts. TB1  TB2  TB3  TB4  TB5 
114
IMNitish, BelurkarIND2441GA47,599,0004
26
GMChanda, SandipanIND2485WB3,58108,5003
312
GMSanikidze, TornikeGEO2448GEO3,57,58,57,2503
47
IMAyush, SharmaIND2485MP3,57,58,57,0003
522
GMDeepan, Chakkravarthy J.IND2394RSPB3,578,57,7503
641
GMVenkatesh, M.R.IND2355PSPB3,577,56,0003
731
IMMohammad, Nubairshah ShaikhPO1194_THAN_202IND2370MH3,56,575,5003
8100
Arnav, AgrawalIND2194UP38,510,57,5002
93
GMPetrosyan, ManuelARM2544ARM38,5106,7502
1055
GMPodolchenko, EvgeniyBLR2307BLR389,56,5002
1134
FMAakash Sharadchandra, DalviPO6790_THAN_202IND2366MH3895,0003
124
GMPantsulaia, LevanGEO2532GEO37,596,5002
1317
FMBorgaonkar, AkshayPO12612_PUNE_20IND2418MH37,596,2502
1432
IMSchekachikhin, MaksimFID2370FIDE37,58,55,2502
1542
IMPadmini, RoutwIND2354PSPB37,58,55,2502
168
IMNeelash, SahaIND2460RSPB3796,5002
17116
CMChidvilash, Sai SurapaneniIND2175TG3796,5002
1865
FMWagh, SuyogPO12246_AHME_20IND2289MH36,57,55,5002
1936
GMNguyen, Van HuyVIE2363VIE36,57,55,2502
2025
IMSammed Jaykumar, ShetePO1107_KOLH_202IND2391MH367,55,5003

Details

Round 5 pairings

Bo. WhiteTypRtgClub/CityPts.ResultPts.BlackTypRtgClub/City 
1
IMNitish, Belurkar2441GA4GMChanda, Sandipan2485WB
2
GMVenkatesh, M.R.2355PSPBIMAyush, Sharma2485MP
3
GMSanikidze, Tornike2448GEOIMMohammad, Nubairshah Shaikh2370MH
4
GMDeepan, Chakkravarthy J.2394RSPB3FMBorgaonkar, Akshay2418MH
5
GMNguyen, Van Huy2363VIE33GMPetrosyan, Manuel2544ARM
6
GMPantsulaia, Levan2532GEO33IMPadmini, Rout2354PSPB
7
IMNeelash, Saha2460RSPB33CMHarshit, Ranjan Sahu2140OD
8
GMPodolchenko, Evgeniy2307BLR33IMSammed Jaykumar, Shete2391MH
9
FMWagh, Suyog2289MH33IMSchekachikhin, Maksim2370FIDE
10
Arnav, Agrawal2194UP33FMAakash Sharadchandra, Dalvi2366MH
11
CMChidvilash, Sai Surapaneni2175TG3GMSengupta, Deep2506PSPB
12
IMSanket, Chakravarty2317WBGMGupta, Abhijeet2576PSPB
13
FMKrishnan, Ritvik2316MHGMSavchenko, Boris2459RUS
14
GMStany, G.A.2454KAFMJinan, Jomon2311KL
15
FMPotawad, Anirudhha2306MHIMMayank, Chakraborty2444AS
16
IMPanda, Sambit2391ODWIMVelpula, Sarayu2302TG
17
Jval, Saurin Patel2298GJIMHarsh, Suresh2389TN
18
FMHarshad, S2388TNIMUtsab, Chatterjee2299WB
19
FMAjay, Santhosh Parvathareddy2295UPFMBharadia, Yash2368RJ
20
GMManik, Mikulas2273SVKFMGarv, Gaur2366HR

Details



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