CHENNAI : Defending champion Bhakti Kulkarni of Air India is well on course to defend her title as she gave yet another superlative performance in the eighth round to defeat PV Nandhidhaa of Tamil Nadu and maintain sole lead in the 46th national women’s chess championship held at Chettinad Public School, Karaikudi.Bhakti, who has 7.5 points, was in her element with black pieces against Women International Master Nandhidhaa using a Scandinavian Defence game. She won in 39 moves.
Important results: Round 8: PV Nandhidhaa (TN) 5.5 lost to Bhakti Kulkarni (AI) 7.5; Vantika Agrawal (Del) 7 bt Michelle Catherina (TN) 5.5; Meenakshi S (AI) 6.5 bt Pratyusha Bodda (AP) 5.5; Soumya Swaminathan (PSPB) 6 bt Kiran Manisha Mohanty (LIC) 5; Divya Deshmukh (Mah) 6 bt Nityata Jain (MP) 5; Srija Seshadri (TN) 5 lost to Mrudul Dehankar (Mah) 6; Bagyashree Thipsay (Mah) 5.5 drew with Mary Ann Gomes (PSPB) 5.5; Potluri Saye Srreezza of (Tel) 5 lost to Priyanka K (TN) 6; Swati Ghate (LIC) 5.5 drew with Harshita Guddanti (AP) 5.5; Sakshi Chitlange (Mah) 5.5 bt Bala Kannamma P (TN) 5; Priyanka Nutakki (AP) 5 drew with Aarthie Ramaswamy (AI) 5; Nisha Mohota (PSPB) 5 drew with Rutuja Bakshi (Mah) 5; Sanskriti Goyal (UP) 5 drew with Isha Sharma (Kar) 5; Abhirami Madabushi (Tel) 4.5 lost to Varshini V (TN) 4.5; Neha Singh of Bihar (4) lost to IM Vijayalakshmi S (Air India) 5.
Lady Andal post victory
Lady Andal beat Santhome MHSS by 83 runs in the Select Serenity Cup U-19 meet.
Brief scores: Velammal 55 in 14.3 ovs (G Siddharth 3/3) lost to Sri Jayendra Saraswathi 59/1 in 12 ovs; Lady Andal 141 in 30 ovs (Anirudh Seshadri 57, V Sanjeen Kumar 4/13) bt Santhome MHSS 58 in 18.1 ovs (S Aarave Ahuja 5/19); Chettinad Vidyashram 130 in 43.2 ovs (Adithyanathan 42, Sriram S 3/23, Vasisht Sankara Ramanan S 3/28) lost to PSBB (KK Nagar) 131/7 in 17.2 ovs (AB Dhiyash 43, Lalith Chockalingam 4/27).
Evaans MHSS champions
Evaans MHSS (Chennai) beat Sports Authority of India (Salem) in the final of the state level kabaddi meet, held at Kongu Arts and Science college, Erode.