Round 5: Venkatesh halts Sayantan's run

International Master Sayantan Das was having a sensational run until the fifth round when he suffered defeat in the hands of Grandmaster Venkatesh M.R. | Photo: IA Rathinam Anantharam

In this encounter Venkatesh had the white pieces. The game started off with Sicilian and the Bengal player eschewed the open variation to enter into a slightly passive French defense like structure. White slowly but surely capitalized on his better mobility of pieces and active bishop pair to grab a pair of extra pawns at which point Black decided to call it a day. Let's look at the highlights of what happened.

 

Venkatesh M.R. - Sayantan Das, Round 5

Black played the move 13...a5 here, the only other alternative to be considered is perhaps 13...dxe4 which also leads to a slightly passive position.

Black couldn't afford to allow the white knight stay on c5. After Bxc5 dxc5 the position simply opened up for White's superior pieces.

The knight on d4 keeps an excellent eye on c6 and e6 squares, Black had to play 18...e5 here and after 19.c6 another pair of minor pieces were off the board.

White's pair of bishops coupled with the queen soon started to breathe fire across the board.

White picked up two extra black pawns and here it was game over for Black.

The full game with brief annotations is presented below:

Abhijeet Gupta defeated WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty in round 5 | Photo: IA Rathinam Anantharam 

IM Konguvel Ponnuswamy pulled off a shocker by beating the Iranian GM Masoud Mosadeghpour with black pieces | Photo: IA Rathinam Anantharam 

IM Raja Rithvik R. held GM Adam Tukhaev to a draw | Photo: IA Rathinam Anantharam 

IM S. Nitin drew the third seed of the event Pavel Smirnov | Photo: IA Rathinam Anantharam

Detailed results of round 5

Bo.No. NameRtgClub/CityPts. ResultPts. NameRtgClub/City No.
18
GMVenkatesh M.R. 2480PSPB4 1 - 04 IMDas Sayantan 2409WB
13
21
GMGupta Abhijeet 2616PSPB3½ 1 - 04 WGMKiran Manisha Mohanty 2082LIC
54
319
IMNitin S. 2358S.Rly3½ ½ - ½3½ GMSmirnov Pavel 2574RUS
3
44
GMTukhaev Adam 2541UKR3½ ½ - ½3½ IMRaja Rithvik R 2364TEL
18
56
GMMosadeghpour Masoud 2509IRI3½ 0 - 13½ IMKonguvel Ponnuswamy 2383TN
16
617
IMRajesh V A V 2378TN3½ ½ - ½3½ GMVasquez Schroeder Rodrigo 2496CHI
7
727
Nayak Rajesh 2250ORI3½ ½ - ½3½ IMShyaamnikhil P 2457ICF
9
82
GMSavchenko Boris 2576RUS3 1 - 03 Ram S. Krishnan 2224BSNL
32
95
IMTriapishko Alexandr 2519RUS3 1 - 03 Baivab Mishra 2215ORI
34
1010
IMKhusenkhojaev Muhammad 2442TJK3 1 - 03 Siddarth M 2167TN
42
1111
GMLaxman R.R. 2426ICF3 1 - 03 Priyanka K 2201TN
36
1237
IMMurali Krishnan B T 2192S.Rly3 0 - 13 GMKarthikeyan P. 2422ICF
12
1315
IMMuthaiah Al 2384TN3 1 - 03 WIMMichelle Catherina P 2154TN
46
1451
CMNikhil Magizhnan 2124TN3 1 - 03 FMOm Kharola 2357MAH
20
1555
Anilkumar O.T. 2079KER3 0 - 13 IMRathnakaran K. 2337S.Rly
21
1669
Arnav Maheshwari 1966TN3 ½ - ½3 IMSaravana Krishnan P. 2329KVB
22
1723
Kunal M. 2306TN3 1 - 03 Sibi Visal R 2118TN
52
1879
Ayushh Ravikumar 1907TN3 0 - 13 Sahoo Utkal Ranjan 2278ORI
24
1925
FMAaryan Varshney 2272DEL3 1 - 03 Komal Srivatsav Sajja 1875KAR
84
20115
Ananthapadmanabh D V 1755KER3 ½ - ½3 Hari Madhavan N B 2231TN
30

Round 6: Venkatesh takes the sole lead

Grandmaster Venkatesh M.R. registered his sixth consecutive victory against IM Konguvel Ponnuswamy in the sixth round, thus emerging as the sole leader of the tournament. In round 7 he faces the third seed Pavel Smirnov with white pieces | Photo: Rupali Mullick, Abu Dhabi 2019 

Detailed results of round 6

Bo.No. NameRtgClub/CityPts. ResultPts. NameRtgClub/City No.
116
IMKonguvel Ponnuswamy 2383TN4½ 0 - 15 GMVenkatesh M.R. 2480PSPB
8
22
GMSavchenko Boris 2576RUS4 ½ - ½4½ GMGupta Abhijeet 2616PSPB
1
33
GMSmirnov Pavel 2574RUS4 1 - 04 IMRathnakaran K. 2337S.Rly
21
423
Kunal M. 2306TN4 ½ - ½4 GMTukhaev Adam 2541UKR
4
55
IMTriapishko Alexandr 2519RUS4 ½ - ½4 IMRajesh V A V 2378TN
17
67
GMVasquez Schroeder Rodrigo 2496CHI4 1 - 04 IMNitin S. 2358S.Rly
19
79
IMShyaamnikhil P 2457ICF4 1 - 04 FMAaryan Varshney 2272DEL
25
818
IMRaja Rithvik R 2364TEL4 0 - 14 IMKhusenkhojaev Muhammad 2442TJK
10
911
GMLaxman R.R. 2426ICF4 ½ - ½4 CMNikhil Magizhnan 2124TN
51
1012
GMKarthikeyan P. 2422ICF4 1 - 04 Nayak Rajesh 2250ORI
27
1124
Sahoo Utkal Ranjan 2278ORI4 0 - 14 IMDas Sayantan 2409WB
13
1254
WGMKiran Manisha Mohanty 2082LIC4 ½ - ½4 IMMuthaiah Al 2384TN
15
1348
Niraj Saripalli 2150GOA3½ 0 - 13½ GMMosadeghpour Masoud 2509IRI
6
1422
IMSaravana Krishnan P. 2329KVB3½ ½ - ½3½ Lakshmi Narayanan M V 2166TN
43
1558
Jayachandra Srinivas Vellanki 2046TN3½ 0 - 13½ Prasannaa.S 2237TN
29
1630
Hari Madhavan N B 2231TN3½ ½ - ½3½ Manigandan S S 2100TN-M
53
1768
Samal Ansuman 1975ORI3½ 0 - 13½ Lokesh N. 2202TN
35
1838
Balkishan A. 2173KAR3½ 1 - 03½ Arnav Maheshwari 1966TN
69
19115
Ananthapadmanabh D V 1755KER3½ 1 - 03½ Tiwari Arjun 2171SC.Rly
39
2014
Harshavardhan G B 2391TN3 1 - 03 Gias Uddin Ahmed 1961BAN
71

Standings after round 6

Rk.SNo NameTypsexFEDRtgIClub/CityPts. TB1  TB2  TB3  TB4  TB5 
18
GMVenkatesh M.R.IND2480PSPB6,00,023,521,023,506
213
IMDas SayantanIND2409WB5,00,025,022,019,505
31
GMGupta AbhijeetIND2616PSPB5,00,024,521,020,254
47
GMVasquez Schroeder RodrigoS50CHI2496CHI5,00,024,020,519,504
53
GMSmirnov PavelRUS2574RUS5,00,023,021,018,754
610
IMKhusenkhojaev MuhammadTJK2442TJK5,00,021,519,017,005
712
GMKarthikeyan P.IND2422ICF5,00,021,019,017,504
89
IMShyaamnikhil PIND2457ICF5,00,020,018,016,254
917
IMRajesh V A VIND2378TN4,50,024,021,517,253
102
GMSavchenko BorisRUS2576RUS4,50,023,521,016,504
1116
IMKonguvel PonnuswamyIND2383TN4,50,022,522,014,754
1251
CMNikhil MagizhnanU14IND2124TN4,50,022,520,514,253
1323
Kunal M.IND2306TN4,50,022,019,512,754
1438
Balkishan A.IND2173KAR4,50,022,019,015,754
156
GMMosadeghpour MasoudIRI2509IRI4,50,022,019,015,504
1654
WGMKiran Manisha MohantywIND2082LIC4,50,021,520,015,254
174
GMTukhaev AdamUKR2541UKR4,50,021,519,516,003
1815
IMMuthaiah AlU20IND2384TN4,50,021,018,515,003
195
IMTriapishko AlexandrU20RUS2519RUS4,50,020,018,014,254
2035
Lokesh N.IND2202TN4,50,019,519,013,004