Sasikiran on top
The Hindu
India’s National Newspaper
Tuesday, Dec 30, 2008
CHENNAI: India’s K. Sasikiran is sitting pretty after the end of the sixth and penultimate round in the 19th City of Pamplona international chess tournament in Northern Spain on Sunday.
Posting his third win in a row, the top seed from Chennai is leading the Category 16 (average Elo 2644) tournament by one point with one round still to be played.
Sasikiran was brilliant from move 28 onwards as he scored an unconventional attacking win against the second seed Michael Roiz of Israel to move to 4.5 points. Vladimir Malakhov (Rus) and Francisco Vallejo (Esp) are behind him.Rating performance up.
Sasikiran needs a draw with the black pieces against Aleksander Delchev of Bulgaria in the final round for a clear title on Monday.
This splendid result so far has pushed Sasikiran’s rating performance to a whopping 2831.
After remaining quiet in the first three games, Sasikiran starting winning from Boxing Day onwards and beat GMs Fabiano Caruana (Ita), Francisco Vallejo (Esp) and Michael Roiz (Isr).
In the first three games he drew with Vladimir Malakhov (Rus), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus) and Ivan Salgado (Esp).
India had a podium finish in this event in 2005 when P. Harikrishna finished second to Ruslan Ponomariov. — Arvind Aaron
| Pamplona (Spain) | cat. 16 (2644) | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | ||||||||||||
| 1. | Sasikiran, Krishnan | g | IND | 2694 | * | ½ | 1 | 1 | ½ | 1 | ½ | ½ | 5 | 2795 | |||||
| 2. | Malakhov, Vladimir | g | RUS | 2675 | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 1 | 4 | 2689 | |||||
| 3. | Vallejo Pons, Francisco | g | ESP | 2664 | 0 | ½ | * | 0 | 1 | ½ | 1 | 1 | 4 | 2691 | |||||
| 4. | Caruana, Fabiano | g | ITA | 2640 | 0 | ½ | 1 | * | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | 3½ | 2644 | |||||
| 5. | Delchev, Aleksander | g | BUL | 2632 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | * | ½ | 1 | ½ | 3½ | 2646 | |||||
| 6. | Roiz, Michael | g | ISR | 2677 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | ½ | * | ½ | ½ | 3 | 2589 | |||||
| 7. | Nepomniachtchi, Ian | g | RUS | 2616 | ½ | ½ | 0 | ½ | 0 | ½ | * | 1 | 3 | 2598 | |||||
| 8. | Salgado Lopez, Ivan | g | ESP | 2556 | ½ | 0 | 0 | ½ | ½ | ½ | 0 | * | 2 | 2498 | |||||
www.chesspamplona.com
Great Result Sasikiran. I would like to see you join the top ten league.
Superb performance by Sasi. I hope this will spur him on to greater things. Sasi has always slightly underperformed to his true potential.
Amar
That is one F-ugly picture.
That artist realy captured the mood of that player!
“That is one F-ugly picture”
Gene Shallot
Actually Sasikiran is a cute little fella.
“Actually Sasikiran is a cute little fella.”
I am sure he is… yeah. Hmmmm.