P Shyam Nikhil clinches Commonwealth Chess Championship 2022
IM P Shyam Nikhil defeated the top seed GM Aravindh Chithambaram in the final round to win Commonwealth Chess Championship 2022. Shyam became the first IM in about 13 years to win Gold at this event. IM Enrique Paciencia (SGP) was the last IM to win the event in 2009. GM Mitrabha Guha drew with GM Visakh N R to finish second 7/9, a half point behind the champion. GM-elect IM Pranesh M edged past IM Vignesh N R to claim the Bronze. The legend WIM Bhagyashree Thipsay won the Senior (Above 60) category scoring 5/9. WGM-elect WIM Sakshi Chitlange 5/9 won Silver in the Women and WGM Priyanka Nutakki 5.5/9 clinched Gold in the Under-20 Girls category. Photo: IA Asit Baran Choudhury
India dominates Commonwealth winning 30 medals
WIM Bhagyashree Thipsay winning Gold made a new record of India's only chess couple winning both Open and Senior title in the prestigious Commonwealth Chess Championship. India's third GM in history and Head of Delegation for India at this event, GM Pravin Thipsay had also won the Gold in the Senior category at the previous edition in 2019. India dominated the event by winning 30 medals in total - 12 Golds, 11 Silver and 7 Bronze. IM Pranesh M (Gold and Bronze), CM Gaurang Bagwe (Gold and Bronze) and Rindhiya V (Gold and Silver) won two medals each. The total prize fund of the tournament was ₹5325000. Top three prizes in the Open category were ₹750000, ₹600000 and ₹450000.
Open: Aravindh - Shyam: 0-1
GM Aravindh Chithambaram (2625) made an incorrect decision to not trade the knights in the double rook endgame against IM P Shyam Nikhil (2489).
39.Nxc6 Rxc6 40.Rxb7+ Kf6 would keep things balanced. 39.Nc4 Nd4+ 40.Kf2 Nb5 41.Rd2 Nc3 42.Re1 Rxc5 gave Black the decisive advantage as he gained the second pawn and White had no compensation for it. Shyam had no trouble rolling the connected passed pawns down the board and score a full point, earning him the first place finish and a Gold medal.
Pranesh - Nubairshah: 1-0
IM Pranesh M (2438) won an exciting battle against IM Nubairshah Shaikh (2439) which could have gone either player's way. This win earned Pranesh, a Bronze medal in the Open category.
Under-8 Girls: Gold
Top seed of the category, World Under-8 Girls 2022 Gold medalist and Asian Under-8 Girls 2022 double Gold and Silver medal winner, Charvi A scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 to clinch the Gold medal.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | Charvi A | w | IND | 1411 | 8,5 | 0 | 42,5 | 46 | 8 | 43 | 40 | -9,2 | ||
| 2 | 3 | Gomes J Vaneesha Oshini | w | SRI | 1082 | 7 | 0 | 44,5 | 48 | 7 | 39 | 40 | 17,2 | ||
| 3 | 2 | Sethumsa R B Hasadi | w | SRI | 1116 | 6,5 | 0 | 45,5 | 49 | 6 | 35 | 40 | -8 |
Under-8 Boys: Silver and Bronze
World Under-8 Open 2022 Bronze medalist and Western Asian Under-8 Open 2022 triple Gold medalist, Safin Safarullakhan and Aadhya V both scored 6.5/9 each. They won Silver and Bronze medal respectively, according to tie-breaks.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 4 | Dayal Samar | ENG | 1210 | 7,5 | 0 | 45,5 | 49 | 7 | 37,5 | 40 | 96,8 | |||
| 2 | 1 | AFM | Safin Safarullakhan | IND | 1494 | 6,5 | 0 | 45 | 49 | 6 | 32,5 | 40 | -70 | ||
| 3 | 3 | Aadhya V | IND | 1289 | 6,5 | 0 | 45 | 48,5 | 6 | 35,5 | 40 | 0,8 |
Under-10 Boys: Gold, Silver and Bronze
The Asian Youth Under-10 Open double Silver and a Bronze medalist, National Under-10 Open 2022 champion, top seed of the category, Vivaan Vishal Shah scored a perfect 9/9 to clinch the Gold. He finished 2.5 points ahead of the field. Ritesh Maddukuri scored 6.5/9 to secure the Silver and Aarav Sarbalia scored 6/9 to claim the Bronze medal.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | Typ | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | Vivaan Vishal Shah | U10 | IND | 1850 | 9 | 0 | 46 | 50 | 9 | 45 | 40 | 22,8 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Ritesh Maddukuri | U10 | IND | 1351 | 6,5 | 0 | 44,5 | 47,5 | 6 | 31 | 40 | 35,6 | |||
| 4 | 3 | Aarav Sarbalia | U10 | IND | 1480 | 6 | 0 | 49 | 53,5 | 6 | 36 | 40 | 18,4 |
Under-10 Girls: Silver and Bronze
National Under-10 Girls 2022 runner-up and second runner-up, Aadya Ranganath and Hanya Shah scored 6/9 and 5/9 each respectively to win the Silver and Bronze medal. Hanya won a Bronze in Asian Youth Under-10 Girls 2022 and Gold, Silver and Bronze each at Western Asian Under-10 Girls 2022.
Final standings
| 2 | 2 | Gunawardhana Devindya Oshini | F10 | w | SRI | 1528 | 6,5 | 0 | 47 | 51 | 6 | 33,5 | 40 | 0 | ||
| 6 | 8 | Aadya Ranganath | F10 | w | IND | 1289 | 6 | 0 | 47,5 | 50,5 | 5 | 32 | 40 | 53,6 | ||
| 8 | 4 | Hanya Shah | F10 | w | IND | 1461 | 5 | 0 | 45 | 48,5 | 5 | 30 | 40 | -44,8 |
Under-12 Boys: Gold and Silver
National Schools Under-11 Open runner-up, National Under-12 and Under-11 Open second runner-up, Ethan Vaz and National Under-12 Open champion, Goutham Krishna H, both scored 8/9 each. The encounter between them also ended in a draw. The top two seeds finished in the exact same order as per tie-breaks. Thus, Ethan won his first Gold of the year, Goutham secured Silver.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | AIM | Vaz Ethan | IND | 2049 | 8 | 0,5 | 44,5 | 48,5 | 7 | 39,5 | 40 | -17,6 | ||
| 2 | 2 | Goutham Krishna H | IND | 1877 | 8 | 0,5 | 44,5 | 48 | 7 | 39 | 40 | 18,8 | |||
| 3 | 6 | Samaranayake Pamok Methdinu | SRI | 1408 | 6 | 1 | 46,5 | 49 | 4 | 33,5 | 40 | 81,2 |
Under-12 Girls: Gold and Silver
The World Under-12 Girls Gold medalist, Shubhi Gupta added another Gold medal to her ever-growing list of accolades. She scored a perfect 9/9. Earlier she had won the National Under-12 Girls, National Amateur U-2000 Women and three Silvers at Western Asian Under-10 Girls. Uttarakhand State Under-13 and Under-15 Girls champion tasted her first international success. She scored 7/9 to secure the Silver.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | AFM | Shubhi Gupta | w | IND | 1815 | 9 | 0 | 41,5 | 46 | 9 | 45 | 40 | 15,6 | |
| 2 | 2 | Sherali Pattnaik | w | IND | 1489 | 7 | 0 | 43 | 47,5 | 7 | 35 | 40 | 10,4 | ||
| 3 | 3 | AFM | Rathnayake R M Dulinma Hemalni | w | SRI | 1360 | 6 | 0 | 42,5 | 43 | 5 | 27,5 | 40 | 3,2 |
Under-14 Boys: Gold
The reigning Maharashtra State Under-14 Open 2022 champion, Gaurang Bagwe scored an unbeaten 8.5/9 and finished a massive 3 points ahead of the field to clinch the Gold medal. This is also his first major triumph.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | CM | Bagwe Gaurang | IND | 1965 | 8,5 | 0 | 38 | 41,5 | 8 | 42 | 40 | 4,8 | ||
| 2 | 13 | Senevirathne D C B K | SRI | 1232 | 5,5 | 2 | 41,5 | 45,5 | 3 | 32 | 40 | 140 | |||
| 3 | 5 | AFM | Basnayake B M Thesandu Aken | SRI | 1463 | 5,5 | 1 | 39 | 41 | 4 | 26 | 40 | 37,2 |
Under-14 Girls: Silver and Bronze
The current Gujarat State Under-15 Girls champion, Falak Joni Naik scored 7/9 to secure the Silver medal. She finished a half point behind the champion. The Kerala State Under-14 and Under-15 Girls 2022 champion, Anupam M Sreekumar won the Bronze medal with a score of 6/9.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 2 | Newansa M Esandi | w | SRI | 1524 | 7,5 | 0 | 43 | 46,5 | 6 | 40,5 | 40 | 33,2 | ||
| 2 | 4 | Falak Joni Naik | w | IND | 1421 | 7 | 0 | 44,5 | 48 | 6 | 36,5 | 40 | 54,8 | ||
| 3 | 1 | Anupam M Sreekumar | w | IND | 1777 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 46,5 | 5 | 31 | 40 | -97,6 |
Under-16 Boys: Gold
GM-elect IM Pranesh M won the Gold medal with a 100% score of 9/9. He finished a whopping 2 points ahead of the field and 2.5 points ahead of the Silver medalist.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | IM | Pranesh M | IND | 2438 | 9 | 0 | 42 | 45,5 | 9 | 45 | 10 | 1,3 | ||
| 3 | 8 | Saravanabaavan Brijeash | SRI | 1627 | 6,5 | 0 | 46 | 48 | 6 | 33,5 | 40 | 123,2 | |||
| 4 | 10 | AIM | Arunakirinathan Aruthran | SRI | 1543 | 5,5 | 0 | 43 | 46,5 | 4 | 27,5 | 40 | 72,4 |
Under-16 Girls: Gold and Silver
The reigning National Under-15 Girls School champion, Kanishka S scored 7/9 and finished 1.5 points ahead of the runner-up. Current Tamil Nadu State Under-15 Girls and State Women's champion, Tejaswini G scored 5.5/9 to secure the Bronze medal.
Final standings
| 2 | 6 | Kanishka S | w | IND | 1764 | 7 | 0 | 44,5 | 48,5 | 6 | 34 | 40 | 72 | ||
| 6 | 3 | Tejaswini G | w | IND | 1859 | 5,5 | 0 | 40,5 | 43,5 | 5 | 23,5 | 40 | -85,6 | ||
| 7 | 5 | Gamage Desandhi Dhihansa | w | SRI | 1771 | 5 | 0 | 38,5 | 40,5 | 4 | 24,5 | 40 | -82 |
Under-18 Boys: Gold
The National Under-18 Open 2022 champion and Asian Youth Under-18 Open Bronze medalist, CM Soham Kamotra scored an unbeaten 8/9 and finished a full point ahead of the field to clinch the Gold.
Final standings
| Rk. | SNo | Name | sex | FED | Rtg | Bdld | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 1 | CM | Soham Kamotra | IND | 2367 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 46 | 7 | 38 | 20 | -16,2 | |||
| 2 | 3 | Kiriella K G T S D | SRI | 1845 | 7 | 0 | 43 | 47,5 | 5 | 36,5 | 40 | 8,8 | ||||
| 3 | 7 | Thenuwara Rashmika | SRI | 1471 | 6 | 0 | 44 | 46,5 | 4 | 29,5 | 40 | 98 |
Under-18 Girls: Gold
Western Asian Under-18 Girls 2022 Silver and Bronze medalist, National Under-18 Girls 2022 runner-up, Rindhiya V scored 5/9 to clinch the Gold in Under-18 Girls category.
Final standings
| 5 | 2 | Rindhiya V | w | IND | 1971 | 5 | 0 | 44,5 | 47,5 | 4 | 25 | 40 | -100,8 | |||
| 6 | 4 | Attanayake Chanindi Mewna | w | SRI | 1556 | 5 | 0 | 43 | 46 | 3 | 25 | 40 | -12,4 | |||
| 8 | 5 | WCM | Wickramasinghe Minethma Lasandi | w | SRI | 1538 | 5 | 0 | 38 | 39,5 | 3 | 25,5 | 40 | -54,8 |
Under-20 Boys: Silver and Bronze
Punjab's first IM Dushyant Sharma scored 6/9 to clinch the Silver in Under-20 Boys category. CM Gaurang Bagwe earned his second medal Bronze, by scoring 5.5/9.
Final standings
| 8 | 21 | FM | Liyanage Ranindu Dilshan | U20 | SRI | 2331 | 6,5 | 0 | 44 | 48 | 4 | 31,5 | 20 | 20,4 | ||
| 14 | 19 | IM | Dushyant Sharma | U20 | IND | 2370 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 47 | 5 | 30,5 | 10 | -6,5 | ||
| 17 | 30 | CM | Bagwe Gaurang | U20 | IND | 1965 | 5,5 | 0 | 50,5 | 55 | 5 | 31,5 | 40 | 169,6 |
Under-20 Girls: Gold, Silver and Bronze
The Asian Continental Women 2022 Silver medalist, National Junior (Under-20) 2022 Girls champion, WGM Priyanka Nutakki and Rindhiya V, both scored 5.5/9. Priyanka won Gold due to better tie-breaks, Rindhiya secured her second medal at the event - Silver. Swara Lakshmi S Nair scored 4.5/9 to receive the Bronze.
Final standings
| 23 | 22 | WGM | Priyanka Nutakki | F20 | w | IND | 2320 | 5,5 | 0 | 42,5 | 45,5 | 5 | 29 | 20 | -34,6 | |
| 26 | 29 | Rindhiya V | F20 | w | IND | 1971 | 5,5 | 0 | 35 | 38 | 4 | 25 | 40 | -86,4 | ||
| 44 | 55 | Swara Lakshmi S Nair | F20 | w | IND | 1497 | 4,5 | 0 | 41,5 | 44,5 | 4 | 22 | 40 | 75,2 |
A total of 94 players including 12 GMs, 7 IMs, a WGM and 3 WIMs took part from Bangladesh, England, India, Maldives, Pakistan, South Africa and Sri Lanka in the Open category. The nine-round Swiss League tournament was organized by Chess Federation of Sri Lanka from 14th to 22nd November 2022 at Citrus Hotel in Waskaduwa, Sri Lanka. The time control of the tournament was 90 Minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.
Round 9 results in Open
| Rd. | Bo. | No. | Name | Typ | Rtg | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Name | Typ | Rtg | No. | ||||
| 9 | 1 | 1 | GM | Aravindh Chithambaram Vr. | Open | 2625 | 6 | 0 - 1 | 6½ | IM | Shyaamnikhil P | Open | 2489 | 7 | ||
| 9 | 2 | 10 | GM | Mitrabha Guha | Open | 2474 | 6½ | ½ - ½ | 6 | GM | Visakh N R | Open | 2566 | 2 | ||
| 9 | 3 | 9 | IM | Vignesh N R | Open | 2486 | 6 | 1 - 0 | 6 | GM | Lalit Babu M R | Open | 2550 | 3 | ||
| 9 | 4 | 15 | IM | Pranesh M | Open | 2438 | 6 | 1 - 0 | 6 | IM | Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh | Open | 2439 | 14 | ||
| 9 | 5 | 17 | GM | Hossain Enamul | Open | 2392 | 5½ | ½ - ½ | 5½ | GM | Sengupta Deep | Open | 2497 | 6 | ||
| 9 | 6 | 13 | GM | Raja Rithvik R | Open | 2452 | 5½ | 0 - 1 | 5½ | GM | Karthik Venkataraman | Open | 2486 | 8 | ||
| 9 | 7 | 11 | GM | Venkatesh M.R. | Open | 2470 | 5½ | 1 - 0 | 5½ | Kiriella K G T S D | Open | 1845 | 34 | |||
| 9 | 9 | 23 | WIM | Chitlange Sakshi | Open | 2208 | 5 | 0 - 1 | 5 | GM | Iniyan P | Open | 2534 | 4 | ||
| 9 | 10 | 5 | IM | De Silva L M S T | Open | 2521 | 5 | ½ - ½ | 5 | CM | Bagwe Gaurang | U20 | 1965 | 30 | ||
| 9 | 11 | 25 | WIM | Thipsay Bagyashree Sathe | S60 | 2072 | 5 | 0 - 1 | 5 | GM | Neelotpal Das | Open | 2400 | 16 | ||
| 9 | 12 | 19 | IM | Dushyant Sharma | U20 | 2370 | 5 | 1 - 0 | 5 | Gamage Ovin Vidmal | Open | 1512 | 53 | |||
| 9 | 13 | 22 | WGM | Priyanka Nutakki | F20 | 2320 | 4½ | 1 - 0 | 5 | AIM | Vaz Ethan | U20 | 2049 | 26 | ||
| 9 | 17 | 29 | Rindhiya V | F20 | 1971 | 4½ | 1 - 0 | 4½ | Marapana Sanupa Bimsath | Open | 1392 | 69 | ||||
| 9 | 18 | 33 | CM | Amarasinghe A A C B | Open | 1850 | 4½ | 1 - 0 | 4½ | Swara Lakshmi S Nair | F20 | 1497 | 55 | |||
| 9 | 22 | 80 | Wickramaarachchi Nayanaka Insara | Open | 1299 | 4 | 1 - 0 | 4 | AFM | Shubhi Gupta | F20 | 1815 | 36 | |||
| 9 | 27 | 31 | Nabil Nazar Mohamed | Open | 1961 | 3½ | 1 - 0 | 3½ | Sherali Pattnaik | F20 | 1489 | 57 | ||||
| 9 | 28 | 39 | Kanishka S | F20 | 1764 | 3½ | 1 - 0 | 3½ | Wimalarathne K G | Open | 1456 | 60 |
Final standings in Open
| Rk. | SNo | Name | Typ | sex | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | TB4 | TB5 | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 7 | IM | Shyaamnikhil P | Open | IND | 2489 | 7,5 | 0 | 46 | 49 | 7 | 35,5 | 10 | 8,2 | ||
| 2 | 10 | GM | Mitrabha Guha | Open | IND | 2474 | 7 | 0 | 50,5 | 53,5 | 5 | 39,5 | 10 | 18,4 | ||
| 3 | 15 | IM | Pranesh M | Open | IND | 2438 | 7 | 0 | 48 | 51,5 | 6 | 35,5 | 10 | 15,2 | ||
| 4 | 9 | IM | Vignesh N R | Open | IND | 2486 | 7 | 0 | 46 | 50,5 | 5 | 36 | 10 | 5,5 | ||
| 5 | 8 | GM | Karthik Venkataraman | Open | IND | 2486 | 6,5 | 0 | 48,5 | 52 | 5 | 34,5 | 10 | 5,5 | ||
| 6 | 2 | GM | Visakh N R | Open | IND | 2566 | 6,5 | 0 | 46,5 | 50 | 4 | 34,5 | 10 | -1,2 | ||
| 7 | 11 | GM | Venkatesh M.R. | Open | IND | 2470 | 6,5 | 0 | 44,5 | 48 | 6 | 35 | 10 | -0,6 | ||
| 8 | 21 | FM | Liyanage Ranindu Dilshan | U20 | SRI | 2331 | 6,5 | 0 | 44 | 48 | 4 | 31,5 | 20 | 20,4 | ||
| 9 | 1 | GM | Aravindh Chithambaram Vr. | Open | IND | 2625 | 6 | 0 | 49,5 | 52,5 | 5 | 35,5 | 10 | -9,9 | ||
| 10 | 4 | GM | Iniyan P | Open | IND | 2534 | 6 | 0 | 48 | 52 | 5 | 32 | 10 | -11,3 | ||
| 11 | 3 | GM | Lalit Babu M R | Open | IND | 2550 | 6 | 0 | 46 | 50 | 4 | 34 | 10 | -10,3 | ||
| 12 | 14 | IM | Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh | Open | IND | 2439 | 6 | 0 | 45,5 | 49 | 5 | 33 | 10 | -6,3 | ||
| 13 | 6 | GM | Sengupta Deep | Open | IND | 2497 | 6 | 0 | 45 | 48,5 | 4 | 32 | 10 | -8,2 | ||
| 14 | 19 | IM | Dushyant Sharma | U20 | IND | 2370 | 6 | 0 | 43 | 47 | 5 | 30,5 | 10 | -6,5 | ||
| 15 | 17 | GM | Hossain Enamul | Open | BAN | 2392 | 6 | 0 | 42 | 45,5 | 5 | 29,5 | 10 | -14,1 | ||
| 16 | 16 | GM | Neelotpal Das | Open | IND | 2400 | 6 | 0 | 40,5 | 45 | 5 | 29,5 | 10 | -12,3 | ||
| 17 | 30 | CM | Bagwe Gaurang | U20 | IND | 1965 | 5,5 | 0 | 50,5 | 55 | 5 | 31,5 | 40 | 169,6 | ||
| 18 | 34 | Kiriella K G T S D | Open | SRI | 1845 | 5,5 | 0 | 46 | 50 | 4 | 31,5 | 40 | 116 | |||
| 19 | 13 | GM | Raja Rithvik R | Open | IND | 2452 | 5,5 | 0 | 45,5 | 48 | 4 | 31,5 | 10 | -11,4 | ||
| 20 | 18 | IM | Mohammad Fahad Rahman | U20 | BAN | 2380 | 5,5 | 0 | 45 | 49 | 4 | 30,5 | 10 | -15 |
Links
Chess Federation of Sri Lanka: Official site and facebook
|
Commonwealth Chess Championships 2022 poised for an exciting finish
@ 22/11/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
|
Commonwealth 2022 R7: Pranesh clinches Gold in Under-16 Boys with two rounds to spare
@ 21/11/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
|
Commonwealth 2022 R5-6: Mitrabha regains his sole lead
@ 20/11/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
|
Commonwealth 2022 R1-4: Mitrabha outwits Aravindh, gains sole lead
@ 18/11/2022 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |