Savchenko triumphs

Sports Bureau

GM Boris Savchenko of Russia outwitted GM Farrukh Amonatov of Tajikistan in the final round to emerge winner with 8.5 points in the GITAM University Grandmasters chess tournament here on Friday.

Five players GMs, Paichadze Luka of Georgia, Stupak Kirill of Belarus, Harsha Bharathakoti, IM S. Nitin and GM Mitrabha Guha scored seven points each to finish from second to sixth by virtue of the tie-break score in that order.

On the top board, Savchenko opted for the French Defence against top seed Amonatov and it developed into a complicated middle-game in which the former sacrificed a knight on the 19th move to get a favourable position and eventually win the contest after 34 moves.

On the second board, Luka Paichadze and Harsha Bharathakoti played a well-fought game in Nimzo Indian defence but had to settle for a draw after 43 moves in a three-fold repetition.

The winner got Rs 2.5 lakh, second-placed Paichadze Rs 2 lakh and the third-placed Kirill Stupak, Rs 1.5 lakh.

The results (final round):

Farrukh Amonatov (Tjk) 7 lost to Boris Savchenko (Rus) 8.5; Harsha Bharathakoti (Ind) 7.5 drew with Luka Paichadze (Geo) 7.5; Kirill Stupak (Blr) 7.5 drew with Mitrabha Guha (Ind) 7.5; Ortik Nigmatov (Uzb) 7 drew with Ameya Audi (Ind) 7; Mukhammadali Abdurakhmomov (Uzb) 6.5 lost to S. Nitin (Ind) 7.5; Alexei Fedorov (Blr) 6.5 drew with Himal Gusain (Ind) 7; Mihail Nikitenko (Blr) 6 lost to Baghdasaryan Vahe (Arm) 6; Kaustuv Kundu (Ind) 6 lost to Azer Mirzoev (Aze) 7; Neelotpal Das (Ind) 7 bt Varshney Aaryan (Ind) 6; R.R. Laxman (Ind) 7 bt J. Ramakrishna (Ind) 6.

Final placings: 1. Boris Savchenko (Rus) 8.5 points, 2. Luka Paichadze (Geo) 7.5, 3. Kirill Stupak (Blr) 7.5, 4. Harsha Bharathakoti (Ind) 7.5, 5. S. Nitin (Rly) 7.5, 6. Mitrabha Guha (Ind) 7.5, 7. Farrukh Amonatov (Tjk) 7, 8. Ameya Audi (Ind) 7, 9. Subhayan Kundu 7, 10. Baghdasarayan Vahe (Arm) 7.