Author: Shubham Kumthekar

JAPFA GM : GM Nguyen Anh Dung in sole lead

Round 2

Round 2 saw two decisive encounters as Grandmasters Sergei Tiviakov and Nguyen Anh Dung won their respective games, with the latter winning his second game on the trot. GM G.N. Gopal, the only Indian player in the field, had to settle for a draw against WGM Aulia Medina (ELO 2404).

Round 3

This round witnessed two decisive results as well. GM G.N. Gopal finally won his first game of the tournament as he overcame WGM Alina L’Ami. In the other decisive game, IM Sukandar Irine Kharisma caused a small upset by defeating GM Antonio Rogelio Jr.

After 3 rounds, GM Nguyen Anh Dung has taken the early lead with 2.5/3 while Indian GM G.N. Gopal is joint 3rd with 1.5/3.

The results and pairings for this tournament can be checked here: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr169744.aspx?lan=1&art=2&wi=821

World Amateur Chess Championship 2015: Round 3

The World Amateur Chess Championship 2015 is in progress at Halkidiki, Greece. 120 players have flocked in from all round the globe to participate in the Open section, while the Women’s section has witnessed 19 participants.

Open Section

In Round 3 of the Open Section, top seed Villar Juan of Peru went down against Wlogalski Olivier of Belgium. The latter leads the tournament standings along with four others on 3/3. Among Indians, Manjunath Jain and Abhishek Thomre held their respective higher-rated opponents to draws, while Vivek M. succeeded in overcoming Iatros Aristidis of Greece.

The full pairings for Round 4 can be checked here: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr164371.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=4&turdet=YES&flag=30&wi=984

Women’s Section

In Round 3 of the Women’s Section, Indian player Sandhya G., playing on the first board, came out on top against her higher-rated opponent WCM Gitu Paula-Alexandra of Romania. After three rounds, 14th-seeded Sandhya solely leads the tournament table with 3/3.

The full pairings for Round 4 can be checked here: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr164372.aspx?lan=1&art=2&rd=4&turdet=YES&flag=30&wi=984

The JAPFA Grandmaster Tournament 2015 Commences!

The JAPFA Grandmaster Chess Tournament 2015 commenced today in Jakarta, Indonesia. 12 players are contesting this round-robin tournament with an average ELO of 2452.
The field boasts of 4 GMs, 1 WGM, 6 IMs and 1 FM.

GM G.N. Gopal is the lone Indian in the fray.

The top seeds are:

GM Sergei Tiviakov The Netherlands 2662
GM G.N. Gopal India 2577
GM Antonio Rogelio Jr Philippines 2483
GM Nguyen Anh Dung Vietnam 2464

In the opening round, only one GM – Nguyen Anh Dung – managed to score the full point. GM Tiviakov and GM Antonio were held to draws by IM Alina L’Ami and IM Ali Muhammad Lutfi respectively, whilst GM G.N. Gopal was shocked by IM Sean Winshand Cuhendi in a nice attacking game. Amongst others, WGM Aulia Medina overcame IM Purnama and now leads the pack along with Nguyen Anh Dung and Sean Winshand.

The results and pairings of the tournament can be checked here: http://www.chess-results.com/tnr169744.aspx?lan=1&art=2&wi=821