Women Challengers 2017 Round 8: Bhakti makes a scintillating comeback!
You remember that on the first day of the National Women Challengers 2017 we published the report entitled "1485 rated player beats 2016 Asian Champion!" Well, that Asian Champion not only put the loss behind her, but has scored 6.5 points in the last seven rounds. Bhakti Kulkarni joined top seed Soumya Swaminathan and C. Lakshmi as the leader after eight rounds. Soumya wasn't able to break through the defences of Lakshmi, while Bhakti managed to score a fine win over Nisha Mohota. Analysis of the two crucial games.
Soumya, Lakshmi and Bhakti lead with 6.5/8
Top-seed WGM Soumya Swaminathan (PSPB), Tamil Nadu's WFM Lakshmi C and fifth seed WGM Bhakti Kulkarni (Air India) shared the lead with 6.5 points from eight rounds, at the end of the sixth day at the 44th National Women's Challenger 2017.
[Site "Mysore Sports Club, Mysuru, Ka"]
[Date "2017.07.26"]
[Round "8.1"]
[White "Soumya, Swaminathan"]
[Black "Lakshmi, C."]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2349"]
[BlackElo "1952"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "133"]
[EventDate "2017.07.21"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
fxe4 5. dxe4 Nf6 6. O-O Bc5 (6... Nxe4 $2 7. Re1 $16) 7. Qd3 $5 {Preventing
the opponent from castling because of c4+.} Qe7 (7... d6 8. Qc4 Qe7 9. Nc3 Be6
10. Nd5 $16) 8. a3 {Nc3 is the main move. It's quite possible that Soumya was
already out of her home preparation at this point.} d6 9. Nc3 Be6 $6 (9... O-O
{was better.}) 10. Nd5 $1 Qd7 11. Ng5 $1 Bg8 12. b4 (12. Qf3 $5 {would have
put even more pressure on Lakshmi.}) 12... Bb6 13. Nxb6 axb6 14. f4 {Soumya is
an excellent player with the initiative and shows this amply over here.
Opponent's king is in the centre and she breaks it open.} h6 15. Nf3 exf4 16.
Bxf4 (16. Bb2 $5) 16... Bf7 17. Nd4 (17. e5 $1 {would have been very strong.}
dxe5 18. Qxd7+ Nxd7 19. Bxe5 O-O 20. Bxc7 $16 {White has won a pawn and is
clearly better.}) 17... O-O 18. Bxh6 $5 Bg6 $1 {Calm defense by Lakshmi. She
protects her f6 knight and attacks the e4 pawn.} (18... gxh6 19. Rxf6 $18) 19.
Qc4+ Bf7 20. Qd3 (20. Qc3 $1 Nxe4 21. Qd3 $16) 20... Bg6 21. Bf4 Bxe4 22. Qd2
Qg4 23. h3 (23. Bg3 $13) 23... Qxg2+ $1 {Sharp play by the Tamil Nadu girl.}
24. Qxg2 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Nxd4 {From being clearly worse, the sides have been
swtiched. Black is a pawn up and clearly better.} 26. Bc4+ Kh8 (26... d5 $1 $17
) 27. c3 Nf5 28. Be6 Ne4 29. c4 Nh4+ 30. Kh2 Nc3 31. Bg4 Ng6 32. Bg3 Rxf1 33.
Rxf1 Ne4 34. Rf7 Nxg3 35. Kxg3 Ne5 36. Rxc7 Rxa3+ 37. Kh4 Nxg4 38. hxg4 {
The rook endgame is surely slightly better for White, but the reduced material
makes it very difficult to win.} Rb3 39. b5 Rc3 40. Kh5 Kh7 41. g5 Rh3+ 42. Kg4
Rc3 43. Kf5 d5 44. Rxb7 dxc4 45. Rxb6 Re3 46. Rb8 g6+ 47. Kf6 Rf3+ 48. Ke6 c3
49. Rb7+ Kg8 50. Rc7 Rf5 51. b6 Rb5 52. b7 c2 53. Rc8+ Kg7 54. Rc7+ Kg8 55.
Rxc2 Rxb7 56. Rd2 Rb5 57. Rd5 Rb8 58. Rd6 Ra8 59. Kf6 Rb8 60. Kxg6 Ra8 61. Kh6
Rb8 62. Rd7 Rb6+ 63. g6 Rb8 64. Rg7+ Kh8 65. Rh7+ Kg8 66. Rg7+ Kh8 67. Rh7+ {
Great tenacious play by Lakshmi. Soumya wouldn't be too happy with the outcome
of the game especially after the fine opening position that she got.} 1/2-1/2
The deadlock between Lakshmi and Soumya meant that a few other players had a chance to catch up the leaders. Meenakshi and Mary Ann Gomes drew their game. But, it was Bhakti Kulkarni who beat Nisha Mohota in a completely topsy Turvy encounter.
[Site "Mysore Sports Club, Mysuru, Ka"]
[Date "2017.07.26"]
[Round "8.3"]
[White "Kulkarni, Bhakti"]
[Black "Mohota, Nisha"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A00"]
[WhiteElo "2255"]
[BlackElo "2271"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "101"]
[EventDate "2017.07.21"]
[EventRounds "11"]
[EventCountry "IND"]
b6 and 0-0.} 5. a3 Bxd2+ 6. Bxd2 Nbd7 7. Qc2 O-O 8. e4 e5 9. Bd3 Re8 10. O-O
Nf8 $6 (10... exd4 11. Nxd4 Nc5 {might have been a better idea to eliminate
the d3 bishop, but after} 12. Rae1 $14 {White holds a small edge.}) 11. d5 c5
12. b4 $1 {White has the bishop pair and simple play on the queenside. Nisha's
play has not been very impressive.} Ng6 13. bxc5 dxc5 14. Rfb1 $1 {Bhakti uses
the f rook so that when black plays b6, she can use her a-pawn backed by the
rook to attack the pawn chain.} Qd6 15. Rb2 Nd7 16. g3 Ne7 17. Nh4 h6 18. f4 f6
{Overall Nisha is playing without a plan. She is passive, but keeps fighting.}
19. f5 b6 20. Be2 Nf8 21. Bh5 Rd8 22. Rab1 Bd7 23. a4 {The kingside has been
controlled completely, now it's time for the queenside to be opened up.} Rdb8
24. a5 bxa5 25. Bxa5 Rxb2 26. Qxb2 Qa6 27. Qc3 Nc8 28. Bc7 Nd6 29. Be2 Nxe4 30.
Qe3 Nd6 31. Qxc5 Nxf5 32. Nxf5 Bxf5 33. d6 $2 Bxb1 $1 34. Qd5+ Kh7 35. Qxa8 Nd7
(35... Ne6 $17 {And Black is better in this position.}) 36. Qd5 Qa1 37. Kf2
Qd4+ $2 {A very bad decision by Nisha, mainly dictated by time pressure it
seems. After the queen exchange, White is just winning the endgame.} 38. Qxd4
exd4 39. Ba5 $2 (39. Bg4 $1 f5 40. Bd1 $18) 39... Kg6 40. Bb4 d3 $2 {This move
stops the bishop's retreat to help the knight. It is some sort of a suicidal
move by Nisha.} (40... Be4 $17) 41. Bf3 d2 42. Bxd2 Ba2 $2 (42... Kf5 {White
is better but Black is still fighting.}) 43. Bc6 $18 Nb8 44. Be8+ Kf5 45. d7
Nc6 46. Bf7 Ke5 47. Bd5 Nd8 48. Bf4+ Kd4 49. Bc7 Bxc4 50. Bxd8 Bb5 51. Bxf6+ {
A topsy turvy game that could have gone either way, but ended as a win for
White.} 1-0
Five players, WGM Kiran Manisha Mohanty (LIC), WGM Mary Ann Gomes (PSPB), WIM Nandhidhaa Pv (AAI), WGM Meenakshi Subbaraman (AI) and WFM Arpita Mukharjee (WB) are tied with 6 points each and are placed from fourth to eighth in the rankings after the eighth round. 15 players are tied with 5.5 points and are placed from 9th to 23rd in the rankings.
Results of round 8
| Bo. | No. | Name | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Name | Rtg | Club/City | No. | ||
| 1 | 1 | WGM | Soumya Swaminathan | 2349 | PSPB | 6 | ½ - ½ | 6 | WFM | Lakshmi C | 1952 | TN | 30 |
| 2 | 10 | WGM | Meenakshi Subbaraman | 2181 | AI | 5½ | ½ - ½ | 5½ | WGM | Gomes Mary Ann | 2331 | PSPB | 2 |
| 3 | 5 | WGM | Kulkarni Bhakti | 2255 | AI | 5½ | 1 - 0 | 5½ | IM | Mohota Nisha | 2271 | PSPB | 4 |
| 4 | 3 | WGM | Swati Ghate | 2278 | LIC | 5 | ½ - ½ | 5½ | WGM | Kiran Manisha Mohanty | 2170 | LIC | 13 |
| 5 | 7 | WIM | Nandhidhaa Pv | 2221 | AAI | 5 | 1 - 0 | 5 | WFM | Lasya.G | 2097 | AP | 20 |
| 6 | 19 | WFM | Arpita Mukherjee | 2100 | WB | 5 | 1 - 0 | 5 | WFM | Srija Seshadri | 2200 | DEL | 8 |
| 7 | 11 | Harshita Guddanti | 2180 | AP | 5 | ½ - ½ | 5 | WGM | Ramaswamy Aarthie | 2072 | AI | 22 | |
| 8 | 15 | WIM | Mahalakshmi M | 2154 | TN | 5 | ½ - ½ | 5 | Bala Kannamma P | 1977 | TN | 25 | |
| 9 | 16 | WIM | Parnali S Dharia | 2140 | MAH | 5 | ½ - ½ | 5 | WCM | Jyothsna L | 1964 | TN | 27 |
| 10 | 38 | Sandhya G | 1873 | AP | 4½ | 1 - 0 | 4½ | WIM | Michelle Catherina P | 2177 | TN | 12 |
Rank after round 8:
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
| 1 | 1 | WGM | Soumya Swaminathan | IND | 2349 | PSPB | 6,5 | 0,0 | 39,5 | 44,5 |
| 2 | 30 | WFM | Lakshmi C | IND | 1952 | TN | 6,5 | 0,0 | 37,5 | 41,0 |
| 3 | 5 | WGM | Kulkarni Bhakti | IND | 2255 | AI | 6,5 | 0,0 | 35,0 | 38,5 |
| 4 | 13 | WGM | Kiran Manisha Mohanty | IND | 2170 | LIC | 6,0 | 0,0 | 38,5 | 42,5 |
| 5 | 2 | WGM | Gomes Mary Ann | IND | 2331 | PSPB | 6,0 | 0,0 | 38,5 | 42,5 |
| 6 | 7 | WIM | Nandhidhaa Pv | IND | 2221 | AAI | 6,0 | 0,0 | 33,5 | 37,5 |
| 7 | 10 | WGM | Meenakshi Subbaraman | IND | 2181 | AI | 6,0 | 0,0 | 33,0 | 37,0 |
| 8 | 19 | WFM | Arpita Mukherjee | IND | 2100 | WB | 6,0 | 0,0 | 32,5 | 35,5 |
| 9 | 15 | WIM | Mahalakshmi M | IND | 2154 | TN | 5,5 | 0,0 | 40,5 | 42,5 |
| 10 | 16 | WIM | Parnali S Dharia | IND | 2140 | MAH | 5,5 | 0,0 | 36,0 | 38,5 |
Pairing for round 9:
| Bo. | No. | Name | Rtg | Club/City | Pts. | Result | Pts. | Name | Rtg | Club/City | No. | ||
| 1 | 30 | WFM | Lakshmi C | 1952 | TN | 6½ | 6½ | WGM | Kulkarni Bhakti | 2255 | AI | 5 | |
| 2 | 7 | WIM | Nandhidhaa Pv | 2221 | AAI | 6 | 6½ | WGM | Soumya Swaminathan | 2349 | PSPB | 1 | |
| 3 | 2 | WGM | Gomes Mary Ann | 2331 | PSPB | 6 | 6 | WFM | Arpita Mukherjee | 2100 | WB | 19 | |
| 4 | 13 | WGM | Kiran Manisha Mohanty | 2170 | LIC | 6 | 6 | WGM | Meenakshi Subbaraman | 2181 | AI | 10 | |
| 5 | 25 | Bala Kannamma P | 1977 | TN | 5½ | 5½ | WGM | Swati Ghate | 2278 | LIC | 3 | ||
| 6 | 4 | IM | Mohota Nisha | 2271 | PSPB | 5½ | 5½ | Makhija Aashna | 1947 | MAH | 31 | ||
| 7 | 32 | Pandey Srishti | 1930 | MAH | 5½ | 5½ | Harshita Guddanti | 2180 | AP | 11 | |||
| 8 | 27 | WCM | Jyothsna L | 1964 | TN | 5½ | 5½ | WIM | Mahalakshmi M | 2154 | TN | 15 | |
| 9 | 33 | Shetye Siddhali | 1920 | MAH | 5½ | 5½ | WIM | Parnali S Dharia | 2140 | MAH | 16 | ||
| 10 | 18 | WIM | Chitlange Sakshi | 2112 | MAH | 5½ | 5½ | Kaur Palkin | 1723 | DEL | 47 |
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About the author
C.K.Muralidharan is a 55-year-old Free-lance Sports Journalist based in Mysore. He has 20 years of experience in sports journalism. He contributes to the Hindu National daily and Daily Star of Mysore on all sports in Mysore for the last 15 years. He has been covering sports in Mysore on his website - www.mysoresport.com. He is the promoter of Mysore Professional Chess Academy. IM M.S.Thejkumar is the Vice-President of the Academy and supervises the coaching programme. He works with the Mysore District Chess Association in order to spread the game of chess through the chess in schools program.