Vietnam GM Nguyen Duc Hoa bags Mumbai Mayor chess title
Mumbai, June 11: Vietnam Grandmaster Nguyen Duc Hoa (ELO 2477) clinched a decisive win against Indian Grandmaster Neelotpal Das (2438) in the 10th and concluding round to finish with 8.5 points and emerge champion of the Rs 29 lakhs prize-money 10th Mumbai Mayor's Cup International Open Chess Tournament 2017, sponsored by LIC of India, co-sponsored by Ankit Gems and played at the Mount Litera School International, Bandra on Sunday.
The contest between the Duc Hoa (rank 10th) and Neelotpal (rank 13th), the joint leaders with 7.5 points each after the ninth round, was a close tense affair. The Vietnam GM held his nerves and with some clever maneuvers managed to outsmart the Indian GM to snatch a creditable win and the full point which secured him the victory and the top honours.
Top ranked Grandmaster Amonatov Farrukh (2635) of Tajikistan with 8 points following his triumph over Russian GrandmasterDeviatkin Andrei (2481) claimed the runner-up prize.
The Vietnamese GM Duc Hoa went home richer with a handsome cash fund of Rs 3 lakhs, while the Tajikistan GM Amonatov took home a cheque of Rs 2 lakhs.
Indian Grandmasters Ghosh Diptayan, who had started with a flourish recording four successive wins in the opening rounds, and Neelotpal Das who shared the lead with Duc Hoa at the end of the penultimate round, finished with identical 7.5 points and were placed third and fourth respectively. Ghosh picked a sum of Rs 1 lakh and Neelotpal received Rs 70,000 for their fine efforts.
Four other players ended with a tally of 7.5 points and claimed the fifth to sixth positions. Bangladesh Grandmaster Rahman Ziaur (5th), IM Karthikeyan P. (6th), Armenian Grandmaster Babujian Levon (7th) and FM Sai Krishna G.V. (8th), all finished with the same tally of points.
Results (top 10 boards) – Round 10: GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (2477, VIE) - 8.5 pts beat GM Neelotpal Das (2438, IND) 7.5; GM Deviatkin Andrei (2481, RUS) - 7 lost to GM Amonatov Farrukh (2635, TJK) - 8; GM Ghosh Diptayan (2569, IND) - 7.5 drew with GM Rahman Ziaur (2526, BAN) - 7.5; IM Khusenkhojaev Muhammad (2424, TJK) - 7 drew with GM Tukhaev Adam (2567, UKR) – 7; Navalgund Niranjan (2351, IND) – 6.5 lost to IM Karthikeyan P. (2502, IND) – 7.5; FM Rathanvel V. S. (2332, IND) – 7 drew with GM Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib (2484, BAN) – 7; FM Sai Krishna G. V. (2339, AP) – 7.5 beat GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J. (2480, IND) – 6.5; GM Babujian Levon (2438, ARM) - 7.5 beat FM Sauravh Khherdekar (2230, IND) – 6.5; Saurabh Anand (2266, IND) – 7 drew with IM Nitin S. (2427, IND) – 7; GM Grover Sahaj (2485, IND) – 7 beat Mithil Ajgaonkar (2203, IND) – 6.
Final Positions (top 8): 1. GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (VIE) - 8.5 points, 2. GM Amonatov Farrukh (TJK) - 8, 3. GM Ghosh Diptayan (IND) - 7.5, 4. GM Neelotpal Das (IND) -7.5, 5. GM Rahman Ziaur (BAN) - 7.5, 6. IM Karthikeyan P. (IND) - 7.5, 7. GM Babujian Levon (ARM) - 7.5, 8. FM Sai Krishna G.V. (IND) - 7.5.
Round 9: GM Tukhaev Adam (2567, UKR) - 6.5 lost to GM Nguyen Duc Hoa (2477, VIE) – 7.5; GM Neelotpal Das (2438, IND) – 7.5; beat GM Deepan Chakkravarthy J. (2480, IND) – 6.5; GM Rahman Ziaur (2526, BAN) – 7 beat FM Sai Krishna G.V. (2339, IND) – 6.5); GM Amonatov Farrukh (2635, TJK) – 7 beat GM Grover Sahaj (2485, IND) – 6; Saravana Krishnan P. (2353, IND) – 6 lost to GM Ghosh Diptayan (2569, IND) 7; GM Hossain Enamul (2464, BAN) – 6 lost to GM Deviatkin Andrei (2481, RUS) – 7; IM Khusenkhojaev Muhammad (2424, TJK) – 6.5 drew with Saurabh Anand (2266, IND) – 6.5; GM Mollah Abdullah Al Rakib (2484, BAN) – 6.5 beat Sekar B. (2252, IND) – 6; IM Karthikeyan P. (2502, IND) – 6.5 beat Pranav Shetty (2200, IND) – 5.5; FM Gajwa Ankit (2309, IND) – 5.5 lost to GM Babujian Levon (2438, ARM) – 6.5.