Indian girl Souyma Swaminathan wins World Junior Chess Championship
Sasidharan Nair
2009/11/05
Puerto Madryn, Argentina: Pune based Indian girl Soumya Swaminathan achieved what only five other Indians have achieved in world chess – she has won the World Junior girls chess championship at Puerto Madryn in Argentina on November 3, 2009.
The 20-year-old woman grandmaster Soumya Swaminathan tallied 10 points in this under-20 tournament. Soumya (Elo 2297) was seeded ninth in the tournament and needed a victory in the last round. The win gives her to a direct entry to the Women’s World Championship.
“This is a big achievement. With this title, she will directly qualify for the Junior World Cup in Russia later this month. Almost every junior champion has performed well in the World Chess Championship. That is why this title is more prestigious,” said GM Abhijeet Kunte.
“Soumya has been training with Kunte’s Academy for the past three years. She has sacrificed a lot for chess. She is a hard-worker, a talented player and has a bright future,” he added.
In the thirteenth and final round, Soumya defeated Kubra Ozturk of Turkey for a place in world history. She became the third Indian girl after Koneru Humpy (2002) and Dronavalli Harika (2008) to win the World Junior Girls championship. The World Junior title had been won by V Anand (1987), P Harikrishna (2004) and Abhijeet Gupta (2008) also. India has retained the girl’s title.
Soumya was tied for the first place with two others but had the better tie-break score to end a deserving winner. All of them scored 9.5 points from 13 games. In the final round, Soumya started on 8.5 points and Cori Tello (Per) was also on 8.5. But Betul Yildiz of Turkey was better placed on nine points. While leader Yildiz only drew against Orissa’s Kiran Mohanty, Soumya and Cori Tello won their games to be tied for the first place on 9.5 points. When the official results were declared, Soumya had the higher tie-break score of 27314, higher than Cori Tello’s 27250 and Yildiz’s 27052.
Soumya was in command in the event but a penultimate round defeat pushed her down from which she rose to win the tournament. Soumya was born in Palakkad in 1989 and her family shifted to Pune. Chess administrator in Pune Joseph D’Souza said, “In her trip to Europe last year, she made five norms in one and a half months.” Soumya is hard working and is a commerce student from the BMCCCollege. She is under the scholarship of a Petroleum company, he informed.
Soumya wins world junior girls title TNN 4 November 2009, 01:50am IST
PUNE: India’s Soumya Swaminathan won the World junior girls (u-20) title when she defeated Kubra Ozturk of Turkey in the 13th and last round at Puerto Madryn (Argentina) on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Woman Grandmaster tallied 10 points in this under-20 tournament. D Harika (girls) and Abhijit Gupta (open) had won the World junior titles on India’s Independence Day in Turkey last year.
This 45-player event has lost some of its sheen because many players decided to skip the event in the South American continent. Considering that Soumya (Elo 2297) was seeded ninth and needed a victory in the last round makes this achievement praiseworthy. The feat will give her a direct entry to the Women’s World Championship, the dates of which are not announced.
Soumya was leading in Argentina after 10 rounds. However, a draw in the 11th (Russian Zoja Severiukhina) and a heartbreaking loss in the 12th to higher-rated Corri Tello Deysi of Peru (2361) put her in a spot of bother. She had to beat Ozturk on Tuesday with white pieces and hope that compatriot Kiran Manisha Mohanty at least draws with overnight leader Betul Cemre Yildiz (Turkey, 2224) on the top board. Both Mohanty (2153) and Soumya did their job to perfection.
Soumya had a five-game winning streak from the sixth round. Her wins over higher-rated opponents came against Padmini Rout (2331), Xiaoweng Zang (China, 2391), WGM Iozefinal Paulet (Romania, 2342). The Indian’s rating performance so far is 2488. Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/top-stories/Soumya-wins-world-junior-girls-title/articleshow/5194514.cms
NEW DELHI: Amid mounting suspense, Soumya Swaminathan scored a much-needed final-round victory to become the girls’ champion in the World junior chess championship at Puerto Madryn, Argentina, on Tuesday.
Soumya, seeded nine, topped a three-way tie on superior tie-break after aggregating 9.5 points in the premier 13-round contest. Peru’s Deysi Cori Tello and Turkey’s Betul Cemre Yildiz matched Soumya’s tally but followed the champion on the podium, in that order.
The 36-move triumph made Soumya the third Indian girl, and second in succession, to win the coveted crown. K. Humpy (2001) and D. Harika (2008) were the other winners. The Pune-based Soumya entered the competition by virtue of winning the National junior girls’ title in 2008.
Starting the day in the joint second place, Soumya won her third board game against Turkey’s Kubra Ozturk. On the top board, Kiran Manisha Mohanty did Soumya a favour by holding the overnight leader Betul Cemre Yildiz in 24 moves. Girls: 1. Soumya, 8. Padmini, 10. Kiran, 19. Mary, 34. Harini.
She’s hot and good.
Soumya wins world junior girls title
TNN 4 November 2009, 01:50am IST
PUNE: India’s Soumya Swaminathan won the World junior girls (u-20) title when she defeated Kubra Ozturk of Turkey in the 13th and last round at
Puerto Madryn (Argentina) on Tuesday.
The 20-year-old Woman Grandmaster tallied 10 points in this under-20 tournament. D Harika (girls) and Abhijit Gupta (open) had won the World junior titles on India’s Independence Day in Turkey last year.
This 45-player event has lost some of its sheen because many players decided to skip the event in the South American continent. Considering that Soumya (Elo 2297) was seeded ninth and needed a victory in the last round makes this achievement praiseworthy. The feat will give her a direct entry to the Women’s World Championship, the dates of which are not announced.
Soumya was leading in Argentina after 10 rounds. However, a draw in the 11th (Russian Zoja Severiukhina) and a heartbreaking loss in the 12th to higher-rated Corri Tello Deysi of Peru (2361) put her in a spot of bother. She had to beat Ozturk on Tuesday with white pieces and hope that compatriot Kiran Manisha Mohanty at least draws with overnight leader Betul Cemre Yildiz (Turkey, 2224) on the top board. Both Mohanty (2153) and Soumya did their job to perfection.
Soumya had a five-game winning streak from the sixth round. Her wins over higher-rated opponents came against Padmini Rout (2331), Xiaoweng Zang (China, 2391), WGM Iozefinal Paulet (Romania, 2342). The Indian’s rating performance so far is 2488.
Source:-http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/chess/top-stories/Soumya-wins-world-junior-girls-title/articleshow/5194514.cms
Soumya wins World junior crown
NEW DELHI: Amid mounting suspense, Soumya Swaminathan scored a much-needed final-round victory to become the girls’ champion in the World junior chess championship at Puerto Madryn, Argentina, on Tuesday.
Soumya, seeded nine, topped a three-way tie on superior tie-break after aggregating 9.5 points in the premier 13-round contest. Peru’s Deysi Cori Tello and Turkey’s Betul Cemre Yildiz matched Soumya’s tally but followed the champion on the podium, in that order.
The 36-move triumph made Soumya the third Indian girl, and second in succession, to win the coveted crown. K. Humpy (2001) and D. Harika (2008) were the other winners. The Pune-based Soumya entered the competition by virtue of winning the National junior girls’ title in 2008.
Starting the day in the joint second place, Soumya won her third board game against Turkey’s Kubra Ozturk. On the top board, Kiran Manisha Mohanty did Soumya a favour by holding the overnight leader Betul Cemre Yildiz in 24 moves.
Girls: 1. Soumya, 8. Padmini, 10. Kiran, 19. Mary, 34. Harini.
Source:-THE HINDU,Dated 5th November 2009.
Born in Palakkad, Kerala!
All malayalees(Keralites) are proud of you Soumya.