Korobov wins AICF-AAI Cup

Anton Korobov wins AICF-AAI Chess Cup
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PTI | Dec 30, 2012, 08.42 PM IST

NEW DELHI: Grandmaster Anton Korobov of Ukraine won the AICF-AAI Chess Cup, defeating top seed Radoslav Wojtaszek of Poland in the 10th and final round on Sunday.

Playing with black, Korobov was in a difficult situation after the opening and suffered a long time but Wojtaszek allowed him to fight back in time scramble and the Ukrainian turned the tables in quick time.

The win fetches Korobov the winner’s purse of Rs 4,00,000 along with some important rating points. The Ukrainian finished with an impressive 6.5 points out of a possible 10.

Evgeny Alekseev of Russia finished second on 5.5 points after settling for a draw with Krishnan Sasikiran, while the all-Indian affair between Parimarjan Negi and Abhijeet Gupta also ended in a draw in the final round.

For the records, Krishnan Sasikiran finished third with five points in all while Abhijeet was declared fourth with a better tie-break score than Wojtaszek, who finished fifth on 4.5 points.

Negi had to be content with a sixth place finish with four points.

Playing black against Wojtaszek, Korobov went for the Bogo-Indian defence and found himself in a difficult situation after the opening. Soon white had a dangerous initiative and it looked as though white will cruise through.

However, Wojtaszek could not find the best manoeuvres and went astray in time scramble. Korobov finished the game with a simple tactical stroke.

Alekseev played out an easy draw with white against Sasikiran. As many as three minor pieces changed hands in quick time and soon the position drifted towards a draw. The heavy pieces were all on board when the players repeated moves.

Abhijeet held a slightly better position in the middle game arising out of a Symmetrical Berlin as black but he could not force matters against an agile Negi.

Sacrificing a pawn, Negi reached a defensible endgame that was drawn without much action.

Results after final round: Parimarjan Negi (IND, 4) drew with Abhijeet Gupta (IND, 4.5); Evgeny Alekseev (RUS, 5.5) drew with Krishnan Sasikiran (IND, 5); Radoslav Wojtaszek (POL, 4.5) lost to Anton Korobov (UKR, 6.5).

Final standings: 1. Anton Korobov (UKR, 6.5); 2. Evgeny Alekseev (RUS, 5.5); 3. Krishnan Sasikiran (IND, 5); 4. Abhijeet Gupta (IND, 4.5); 5. Radoslav Wojtaszek (POL, 4.5); 6. Parimarjan Negi (IND, 4).

Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com