NEW DELHI: Woman Grandmaster Divya Deshmukh delivered a decisive victory over Narmi Abdinova of Azerbaijan to become the sole leader with 4.5 points at the World Juniors Girls' Chess Championship in Gandhinagar on Thursday.
Deshmukh's win was a carefully crafted affair, taking down the overnight leader Abdinova. Opting for an English opening, Divya may have surprised Abdinova, who then tried to assert control early. This strategy resulted in a compromised pawn structure on the queen side for Abdinova, who still hoped to capitalize on some tactical complications.
Ignoring Black's counterplay on the queen side, Divya launched a direct attack on the king, even sacrificing a knight. This aggressive play left Abdinova's king vulnerable, eventually leading to a checkmate in just 28 moves.
Meanwhile, Grandmaster Pranav Anand made a strong comeback, defeating Anuj Shrivatri in a prolonged endgame, demonstrating superior endgame knowledge.
Jose Gabriel Cardoso of Columbia now shares the lead with Kazybek Nogirbek of Kazakhstan, both having 4.5 points out of a possible five. Pranav Anand follows closely with 4 points. With six rounds remaining, the competition is still fierce in the race to determine the best U-20 player in the world.
In another notable game, the match between Jose Gabriel and Mayank Chakraborty ended quickly in a draw. Chakraborty chose the Berlin Defense, facing a popular variation that gave Gabriel some apparent attacking chances. Gabriel sacrificed a piece, causing Chakraborty's king to roam, but it ultimately resulted in a draw.
Top results round 5 (Indians unless stated): Jose Gabriel Cardoso Cardoso (Col, 4.5) drew with Mayank Chakraborty (4); Nogerbek Kazybek (Kaz, 4.5) beat A R Ilamparthi (3.5); L Srihari (3) lost to Aleksey Grebnev (Fid, 4); Pranav Anand (4.5) beat Anuj Shrivatri (3.5); Aleksandr Domalchuk-Jonasson (Isl, 4) drew with Dudin Gleb (Hun, 4); Siddharth Jagadeesh (Sgp, 3) lost to L M S T De Silva (Sri, 4); Jan Subelj (Slo, 3.5)) drew with Sanket Chakravarty (3.5); Ayush Sharma (3.5) drew with Emin Ohanyan (Arm, 3.5); Tobias Koelle (Ger, ) Avinash Ramesh; Adireddy Arjun (3.50 drew with Aditya Samant (3.5); Luka Budisavljevic (Srb, 3.5) drew with Harshit Pawar (3.5); Kalyani Sirin (3) lost to Marius Fromm (Ger, 4); Quizon Daniel (Phi 4) beat S Aswath (3); Gubatayev Ahmet (Tkm, 3) lost to Prraneeth Vuppala (4); V S Nandish (4) beat Arsen Davtyan (Arm, 3); Santiago Lopez Rayo (Col,2.5) lost to L R Srihari (3.5); S Harshad Mamikon (2.5) lost to Mamikon Gharibyan (Arm, 3.5); Pham Tran Gia Phuc (Vie, 3.5) beat Tymur Keleberda (Can, 2.5); Sushanth Kamabathula (2.5) lost to Stribuk Artiom (Fid, 3.5); Simon Rybka (Svk, 3.5) beat Mrithyunjay Mahadevan; Tarun Kanyamarala (Irl, 3.5) beat Ang Ern Jie Anderson (Mas, 2.5).
