National Rapid 2024 R5-8: Diptayan and Raja Rithvik are the coleaders

by Shahid Ahmed - 06/03/2024

GM Diptayan Ghosh (RSPB) and GM Raja Rithvik R (TEL) are the coleaders after the eighth round of National Rapid Championship 2024. Both of them conceded two draws. They will inevitably face each other in the ninth round. Eight players are trailing by a half point at 6.5/8 each. FM Suyog Wagh (MAH) is the sole non IM/GM among them. Despite starting the day with a loss, he won the next three games in-a-row, including wins over GM Karthik Venkataraman (AP) and WGM Priyanka Nutakki (AP). Priyanka is the highest scorer among women at 5.5/8. Who will become the new National Rapid champion? Round 9 starts today at 11 a.m. IST. Photos: Aditya Sur Roy

An exciting day

Shorter time controls means lots of blunders and upsets are bound to occur. The second day of the National Rapid Championship 2024 was no different.

GM Diptayan Ghosh (RSPB) and...

...GM Raja Rithvik R (TEL) are the coleaders 7/8

Round 5

GM Diptayan Ghosh (RSPB, 2441) missed a win against IM Hari Madhavan N B (TN, 2218).

Diptayan - Hari Madhavan

Position after 37...Qb8

38.Ra5 targeting the c5-pawn would have been winning for White as there is no way for Black to defend it. 38.Rda6 Rc8 39.Qe4 Qf4 40.Ra8 Rcf8 meandered into a draw.

IM Hari Madhavan N B (TN) salvaged a half point against GM Diptayan Ghosh (RSPB)

IM Ravi Teja S (AP, pictured) - GM Raja Rithvik R (TEL): 0.5-0.5

Round 6

Top seed GM Mitrabha Guha (WB, 2466) suffered his first loss of the event against IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete (MAH, 2262). Sammed hunted his opponent's king successfully.

Mitrabha - Sammed

Position after 32...Qd1

It was certainly not easy to defend the position for White. 33.Rh3? Qf1+ 34.Kg3 Be5+ 35.Kf3?? Rb2 and Black went on to win the game. 35.f4 was White's last resort but it is an inhuman, computer-like defense.

IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete (MAH) got the better of GM Mitrabha Guha (WB)

IM Ravi Teja S (AP) - GM Prraneeth Vuppala (TEL): 0.5-0.5

Hari Madhavan - Neelotpal

Position after 34.Re7!

34.Re7! actually has two ideas - Qh6+ followed by Qxg7# and Rxg7. Find out the only defense for Black. In the game 34...Bf4 was played and Black lost the game as there is a forced checkmate.

Priyanka Nutakki prevailed in the battle of the WGMs against Swati Ghate

Round 6

Round 7

The top three boards ended in draws in a battle between IMs and GMs. WGM Priyanka Nutakki (AP) and FM Arhan Chetan Anand (KAR) held GM Sriram Jha (LIC) and GM Mitrabha Guha (WB) to a draw each respectively. IM Moksh Amit Doshi (GUJ) blundered a mate in one against Arnav Kherdekar (MAH). GM Neelotpal Das (PSPB) lost to IM Ethan Vaz (Goa).

IM Sammed Jaykumar Shete (MAH) - GM Raja Rithvik R (TEL): 0.5-0.5

GM Deep Sengupta (PSPB) - IM Hari Madhavan N B (TN): 0.5-0.5

WGM Priyanka Nutakki (AP) - GM Sriram Jha (LIC): 0.5-0.5

GM Neelotpal Das (PSPB) - IM Ethan Vaz (Goa): 0-1

Round 8

GM Diptayan Ghosh (RSPB) and GM Raja Rithvik R (TEL) defeated Arnav Kherdekar (MAH) and IM Arghyadip Das (RSPB) respectively to become the coleaders scoring 7/8 each. IMs Hari Madhavan N B (TN), Kushagra Mohan (TEL) and Ethan Vaz (Goa) held GMs Prraneeth Vuppala (TEL), Sriram Jha (LIC) and Mitrabha Guha (WB) respectively.

Arnav Kherdekar (MAH) - GM Diptayan Ghosh (RSPB): 0-1

IM Hari Madhavan N B (TN) - GM Prraneeth Vuppala (TEL): 0.5-0.5

GM Raja Rithvik R (TEL) - IM Arghyadip Das (RSPB): 1-0

GM Sriram Jha (LIC) - IM Kushagra Mohan (TEL): 0.5-0.5

GM Mitrabha Guha (WB) - FM Ethan Vaz (Goa): 0.5-0.5

Round 8 in progress

For more Round 5-8 photos, please click here.

A total of 225 players including 9 GMs, 20 IMs, 3 WGMs and 3 WIMs are taking part in this three-day eleven-round Swiss League Rapid Rating tournament. It is being organized by Nashik District Chess Association from 4th to 6th March 2024 at Shankaracharya Nyas in Nashik, Maharashtra. The time control is 15 minutes + 10 seconds increment.

Replay Round 5-8 games

Round 8 results

Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Name	Rtg	Club/City	No.	PGN
1	83		Kherdekar, Arnav	1874	Maharashtra	6	0 - 1	6	GM	Ghosh, Diptayan	2441	Railways	2	PGN
2	5	IM	Aronyak, Ghosh	2422	Railways	6	½ - ½	6	IM	Sammed, Jaykumar Shete	2262	Maharashtra	16	PGN
3	23	IM	Hari, Madhavan N B	2218	Tamil Nadu	6	½ - ½	6	GM	Prraneeth, Vuppala	2416	Telangana	6	PGN
4	7	GM	Raja, Rithvik R	2387	Telangana	6	1 - 0	6	IM	Das, Arghyadip	2289	Railways	12	PGN
5	9	GM	Sriram, Jha	2310	LIC	5½	½ - ½	6	IM	Kushagra, Mohan	2218	Telangana	24	PGN
6	19	IM	Utsab, Chatterjee	2254	West Bengal	5½	0 - 1	5½	GM	Sengupta, Deep	2433	PSPB	3	PGN
7	21	IM	Srihari, L R	2236	Tamil Nadu	5½	1 - 0	5½	IM	Raahul, V S	2260	Tamil Nadu	17	PGN
8	25	FM	Wagh, Suyog	2215	Maharashtra	5½	1 - 0	5½	WGM	Priyanka, Nutakki	2255	Andhra Pradesh	18	PGN
9	1	GM	Mitrabha, Guha	2466	West Bengal	5	½ - ½	5½	FM	Vaz, Ethan	2188	Goa	28	PGN
10	11	IM	Sidhant, Mohapatra	2290	Railways	5	0 - 1	5	CM	Pimpalkhare, Vedant	2101	Maharashtra	44	PGN

Details

Standings after Round 8

Rk.	SNo		Name	sex	FED	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3	TB4	TB5	K	rtg+/-
1	2	GM	Ghosh, Diptayan		IND	2441	Railways	7	41	44,5	38,00	0	6	10	4,6
2	7	GM	Raja, Rithvik R		IND	2387	Telangana	7	39,5	43,5	37,75	0	6	20	18
3	5	IM	Aronyak, Ghosh		IND	2422	Railways	6,5	42,5	46,5	36,75	0	5	10	4,5
4	23	IM	Hari, Madhavan N B		IND	2218	Tamil Nadu	6,5	39,5	43,5	33,50	0	5	20	49,2
5	6	GM	Prraneeth, Vuppala		IND	2416	Telangana	6,5	38	41,5	33,00	0	5	10	-1,6
6	21	IM	Srihari, L R		IND	2236	Tamil Nadu	6,5	38	41,5	31,75	0	6	20	21,8
7	16	IM	Sammed, Jaykumar Shete		IND	2262	Maharashtra	6,5	38	41	32,25	0	5	20	27,4
8	24	IM	Kushagra, Mohan		IND	2218	Telangana	6,5	37	41	31,50	0	6	20	17,6
9	3	GM	Sengupta, Deep		IND	2433	PSPB	6,5	36,5	40,5	32,25	0	6	10	-6
10	25	FM	Wagh, Suyog		IND	2215	Maharashtra	6,5	35,5	39	30,25	0	6	20	29,6
11	12	IM	Das, Arghyadip		IND	2289	Railways	6	40	44	31,25	0	5	10	6,5
12	22	IM	Shahil, Dey		IND	2235	Assam	6	39,5	42,5	29,75	0	5	40	4
13	83		Kherdekar, Arnav		IND	1874	Maharashtra	6	37,5	40,5	27,50	0	6	20	59,4
14	9	GM	Sriram, Jha		IND	2310	LIC	6	37	41	30,00	0	5	10	-5,2
15	31		Srihari, L		IND	2184	Puducherry	6	36	40	26,50	0	6	20	16,8
16	26	GM	Laxman, R.R.		IND	2201	Railways	6	35,5	39	26,00	0	6	10	-4,4
17	32		Aakash Sharadchandra, Dalvi		IND	2169	Maharashtra	6	35	38,5	26,00	0	6	20	-10,6
18	54	FM	Arhan, Chethan Anand		IND	2046	Karnataka	6	35	38	26,00	0	5	40	93,2
19	28	FM	Vaz, Ethan		IND	2188	Goa	6	34,5	38,5	27,25	0	5	40	63,6
20	30	FM	Aradhya, Garg		IND	2186	Delhi	6	33	37	27,00	0	5	20	-2,6
	37	FM	Ayush, Sharma		IND	2141	Madhya Pradesh	6	33	37	27,00	0	5	20	13,8

Details

Round 9 pairings

Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Club/City	Pts.	Pts.		Name	Rtg	Club/City	No.
1	2	GM	Ghosh, Diptayan	2441	Railways	7	7	GM	Raja, Rithvik R	2387	Telangana	7
2	3	GM	Sengupta, Deep	2433	PSPB	6½	6½	FM	Wagh, Suyog	2215	Maharashtra	25
3	6	GM	Prraneeth, Vuppala	2416	Telangana	6½	6½	IM	Aronyak, Ghosh	2422	Railways	5
4	16	IM	Sammed, Jaykumar Shete	2262	Maharashtra	6½	6½	IM	Hari, Madhavan N B	2218	Tamil Nadu	23
5	24	IM	Kushagra, Mohan	2218	Telangana	6½	6½	IM	Srihari, L R	2236	Tamil Nadu	21
6	32		Aakash Sharadchandra, Dalvi	2169	Maharashtra	6	6	GM	Sriram, Jha	2310	LIC	9
7	12	IM	Das, Arghyadip	2289	Railways	6	6		Srihari, L	2184	Puducherry	31
8	22	IM	Shahil, Dey	2235	Assam	6	6	CM	Pimpalkhare, Vedant	2101	Maharashtra	44
9	26	GM	Laxman, R.R.	2201	Railways	6	6	FM	Ayush, Sharma	2141	Madhya Pradesh	37
10	28	FM	Vaz, Ethan	2188	Goa	6	6		Vignesh, Advaith Vemula	2048	Telangana	52

Details

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