CHENNAI: Baskaran Adhiban is on a roll. Adhiban continued his stirring run in international tournaments by finishing second in the Master section of the Biel International Chess Festival in Biel, Switzerland, on Friday. Adhiban tied for the first spot with Emil Sutovsky (both 8/11) but had to settle for second spot behind the Israeli because of lesser tie-break. Tigran Gharamian of France (7.5) came third.
The month of July turned out to be a successful one for Adhiban. After winning the Benasque Open in the earlier part of the month, the Indian jumped into lead with a victory over Brazilian GM Alexander Fier after the sixth round in the strong Biel field. He suffered a setback in the seventh round against German Daniel Fridman. Putting aside his loss, he bounced back with a victory in the next round against German junior Dennis Wagner. Adhiban’s hopes of retaining the title looked difficult, when he went down to Sutovksy in the ninth round. However, Adhiban, who was involved in as many as nine decisive games (7 wins, 2 losses), posted victories over Az Husien Nezad and Dragan Solak in the 10th and 11th rounds, to end the tournament on a high.
Adhiban’s graph has been on an upward curve from the time he won the Barcelona Open in 2013. Importantly, he delivers in crunch situations, which has been one of the key factors for his success at the international level. Last year, he defeated Solak in the final round to clinch the title in Biel. In the 2015 Benasque Open, Adhiban outwitted higher-ranked Maxim Rodhstein in the decisive battle to win another strong tournament. In a repeat clash of 2014, Adhiban defeated Solak in the last round this year in Biel.
“Last year he won this tournament and this year he has come second which shows he enjoys playing in Biel. Great performance in a strong event,’’ said India’s leading coach RB Ramesh.
When queried about Adhiban’s strength? “He is a tenacious fighter, never gives up in any position till the end. Very hard worker, can play multiple openings with either colour. His coach Visweswaran has done a good job,” was how Ramesh dissected Adhiban’s strengths.
Factbox
Name: Baskaran Adhiban
Country: India
Age: 22
Rating: 2643
Peak Rating: 2646 (March 2015)
Title: GM
Highs: Winner of Benasque Open (2015), Winner of Barcelona Open (2013), National champion (2009), World U-16 champion (2008), Member of bronze-winning Indian team in 2014 Chess Olympiad.