Press Trust of India
Kolkata, Nov 23: Defending champion and top seed Padmini Rout of Orissa annexed the Ram Ratna women’s national premier chess championship title after posting a win over Tania Sachdev here Monday.
Playing black against the former national champion, Padmini was content to go for routine exchanges in a Queen’s Gambit Declined. Her strategy paid rich dividends for an easy win after Tania faltered in the rook and pawn ending.
Having taken her tally to an unassailable 8.5 points, Padmini will face bottom-ranked K Priyanka in the concluding round of the event Sunday.
Padmini’s nearest rival LIC’s Swati Ghate, who beat V Varshini of Tamil Nadu, has 7.5 points. So even a loss in the last round, would ensure first place for Padmini as she has a better tie-break score.
Swati however, has her task cut out as she faces former world junior champion Soumya Swaminathan of PSCB in the final round.
Three players – Soumya, Bhakti Kulkarni and Pratyusha Bodda – are in the joint third spot with 6.5 points apiece.
Swati attacked with vigour and broke open Varshini’s kingside in a Sicilian defence before sealing the issue in 42 moves.
Soumya won a couple of pawns against Priyanka Nutakki of Andhra Pradesh in a Queen’s Gambit Declined. Priyanka tried to salvage the position by sacrificing a piece to get back the pawns, but Soumya had little difficulty thereafter and checkmated her opponent on the 45th move.
