National Teams 09: a gripping affair

National Teams 09: a gripping affair

How do you snatch defeat from the jaws of victory? Sporting history has stood witness to a long-standing tradition of clear favourites completely dominating their game, only to botch up royally and lose. Cricket is the most followed sport in India, and who will not remember South Africa's famous choke in the semi-finals of the 1999 World Cup that was held in England? (Ah, and that reminds me: I still think that, in all fairness, England would have choked much earlier than the Proteas).

Chess too has examples abound at all levels -- from super GMs to the mere taluka-level tournaments -- we always have a winning position from where somehow, by divine intervention, we manage to lose the thread. Railways-A team always knew it best -- in 2011, they were all set to win the National Teams Title when their own brothers in arms Integral Coach Factory, that is a part of Railways, turned Judas Iscariot, beating Railways and knocking them off the first place!

In the ninth round of the National Teams Championship 2016 being held at KIIT University in Bhubaneshwar, Railways-A walked into the tournament hall waiting for their moment of glory. The problem was that chess is a sport, and sport is never so simple.

Here is the catch: if Railways-A drew, they would end up on equal game-points as AAI, which would mean the tie will be resolved by match-points. Since AAI had won 4-0, if Railways-A drew 2-2, they would get only 1 match-point to AAI's 2.5 points! (for making more than 2.5 points in the final game). AAI will become champions!

Would this result in the undoing of Railways-A's dream run in the tournament? It all started beautifully when...

While Arghyadip prepared for the coronation, the crowd began to see UFOs in the air...

Swapnil was confused and thought: 'Maine to draw nai poocha!?' (I never asked for a draw!?). That is when he realized that Brajesh was actually resigning. GM Shyam Sundar M. of AAI, who stood beside Swapnil, could not believe it -- he actually said to Swapnil 'No, no! Don't stop, continue the game!'

The position is certainly worse for him (Brajesh) now, but it's far from clearly winning. Even GMs can go wrong in such situations. But maybe, he just couldn't take the pressure and the heat of playing strong moves against a strong opponent with so many players and fans watching with discerning eyes.

It is not easy to be a chessplayer, and that should only increase our respect for our professional players who do it again and again.

A point to note is that among the top teams, AAI was the only side which did not field a reserve board! While the other teams rotated their side fluently as per their needs, which sometimes resulted in mess-ups such as this one, Visakh Nr., Stany, Shyam and Rajesh played all nine games without a break and almost pulled it off!

Open Final Standings:

Women's Final Standings:

Note: Dear Reader, thank you for your valuable time. I hope you enjoyed our reporting for the tournament. A humble request to players and parents wishing to get their photos from the tournaments held in the past few days. We value your special moment at the chessboard as much as you yourself do. Please give me some time to recover from this month-long trip!

Do you think it is over? Far from it! I spent the past one month crisscrossing India covering these high-quality tournaments, witnessing numerous stories, meeting interesting people, watching some fantastic games of chess, and even going to jail. ChessBase India will bring you special reports of the Delhi, Mumbai and Bhubaneshwar tournaments with pictures, stories and more. You will be entertained!

Not all the games were recorded, and you can find the top-board games on monroi, here.

Photos for ChessBase India

Previous Reports:

National Teams 01: shaky yet solid

09/02/2016 - The National Teams Championship kicked off here at Bhubaneshwar with top organisations like PSPB and Railways sending strong teams in order to win this thirty-sixth edition. There are two sections -- Open and Women. The Open has eleven grandmasters and seventeen International Masters, meanwhile the Women's section has four International Masters and three Women Grand Masters and is being conducted at the KIIT law College in Bhubaneshwar, Orissa. We bring you an illustrated report.

National Teams 02+03: rough take off

10/02/2016 - The National Team Chess Championship 2016 witnessed some drama (!) on the second day of play as Air India managed to pull off a blunder by messing up their board order. The mistake did not cost much as the team waltzed into the lead anyway. ChessBase India brings you an illustrated report from the tournament.

National Teams 04: the train has arrived?

11/02/2016 - For quite some time now PSPB has maintained a hegemony at the top, comfortably winning the National Teams title by sending a super-strong team. The 36th edition hasn't attracted the very top members of the PSPB squadron, and they face a tough task now as the Railways-A team is steaming ahead at breakneck speed! In the fourth round, Railways-A hijacked Air India to oblivion. ChessBase India brings you games and more in this pictorial report.

National Teams 05+06: everything is fair in love, war and chess!

12/02/2016 - Railways-A and Airport Authority of Inda lead the Open section, with AAI ahead on game-points. In the women's section, PSPB managed to outwit Air India to seal their victory. Nevertheless, it was a double-round day that was full of drama and excitement. ChessBase India brings you an illustrated report.

Round 07+08: Railways almost home

15/02/2016 - They have left no stone unturned this time and are leading comfortably, but anything can happen in chess -- there are many a slip between the cup and the lip. Railways-A is one solid result away from the title with Airport Authority of India on their heels. On the other hand, PSPB Women's team are hardly facing any resistance. ChessBase India brings you an illustrated report.