CHENNAI: Ukraine Grandmaster Adam Tukhaev (5.0) moved into sole lead after the fifth round of the 9th Chennai Open Grandmaster Chess tournament, for the Sakthi Group Dr N Mahalingam Trophy, at JN Stadium on Sunday.
Scoring his fifth win on a trot, Tukhaev accounted for overnight leader, Indian Grandmaster RR Laxman. Following the leader half-a-point behind were GMs Sahaj Grover (India), Vadim Malakhatko (Bel), Alberto David (Italy), Attila Czebe and Adam Horvath (both Hungary), among others.
The top board game between GMs David and Czebe ended in a hard fought draw. Five rounds remain in this event offering `11 lakh in prize money.
Round 5: Alberto David (Ita, 4.5) drew with Attila Czebe (Hun, 4.5); RR Laxman (Ind, 4) lost to Adam Tukhaev (Ukr, 5); Vadim Malakhatko (Bel, 4.5) drew with B Sekar (Ind, 4.5), M Mahalakshmi (3.5) lost to Vitaliy Bernadskiy (Ukr, 4.5); Vitaly Sivuk (Ukr, 4.5) bt Sidhant Mohapatra (Ind, 3.5); Adam Horvath (Hun, 4.5) bt A Ra Harikrishnan (Ind, 3.5): Jacek Stopa (Pol, 4.5) bt Anup Deshmukh (Ind, 3.5); Sahaj Grover (Ind, 4.5) bt Rahul Shetty (Ind, 3.5); P Shyaamnikhil (Ind, 4) drew with Alfia Nasybullina (Rus, 4); Mithil Ajgaonkar (Ind, 4.5) bt Saptarshi Roy (Ind, 3.5).
Sponsor boost for CCFC
Chennai City FC, the I-League team from the city, has got a shot in the arm in its first season. Baako, an US based footwear company, has taken a stake in the team and also been roped in as title sponsor. Rohit Ramesh, owner of Chennai City FC, and Koh Soon Pheng, Director of Bakka, finalised the deal on Sunday.
“It’s nice to have a title sponsor, who has also taken a stake in the team. Sponsorship is very important and the team will benefit from this. CCFC is a good platform for local players to display their talent at the national level,” said Ramesh.
“I don’t see much difference in running a local team in the Chennai league and I-League. The only area new for us is logistics, when we play away games. Otherwise everything is fine, as we have a team with a good mix of experience and youth. Our policy is to take one match at a time and give our best each time,” he added.
Chandrasekar shines
DT Chandrasekar’s 3/20 helped Ambattur CC beat Aththis CC by 21 runs in a first division match of the TNCA-Thiruvallur DCA League. Batting first, Ambattur CC had put up 165 runs in 40.2 overs with Sivakumar hitting 50 runs. In reply, Aththis CC managed just 144/7 in 45 overs.
Division I: Ambattur CC 165/40.2 ovs (K Sivakumar 50, S Sachin 3/20) bt Aththis CC 144/7 in 45 ovs (DT Chandrasekar 3/20).
Division II: SRF RC 149/8 in 30 ovs (M Anand Raj 42, JP Donald 43) lost to Classic CC 152/1 in 24.3 ovs (T Kapil 75 no, V Kiran Kumar 53 no).