TN star edges Kerala’s Nihal to third spot in Menorca Open, Ukrainian icon crowned
Murali Karthikeyan defeated Nihal Sarin in the final round to finish half-a-point behind the champion Vasyl Ivanchuk.
Murali Karthikeyan defeated Nihal Sarin in the final round to finish half-a-point behind the champion Vasyl Ivanchuk.
Murali Karthikeyan defeated Nihal Sarin in the final round to finish half-a-point behind the champion Vasyl Ivanchuk.
Ukrainian chess legend Vasyl Ivanchuk won the Menorca Open with an impressive score of 8 points out of 9.
Kerala's Nihal Sarin, who had been in the hunt, slipped up in the final round, while Tamil Nadu GM Murali Karthikeyan finished third on 7.5 points. Lu Shanglei (7.5) of China was unbeaten in the event, and finished second.
Nihal, who lost to Ivanchuk in round five, was edged by Karthikeyan in the endgame in the final round. Thrissur native Nihal had made a solid start to the event in Spain, winning the first four rounds. Nihal won the Tashkent Open in March.
Nihal had hit 2700 Elo points in live ratings and was on the verge of converting that into actual FIDE ratings. The 21-year-old is aiming to be the first player from Kerala to cross 2700 points, which would make him a Super Grandmaster.
Meanwhile, 56-year-old Ivanchuk, known for his fluid style of play, was in his element throughout the event.
He, however, survived a scare from 18-year-old Indian GM M Pranesh in round nine. Pranesh seemed to have an edge in a rook-knight endgame, but Ivanchuk used his experience to force the youngster into making a series of bad moves before securing a dramatic win.
In his prime, Ivanchuk was as high as World No. 2 with a peak rating of 2787. His rating (2604) has witnessed a steady decline over the years, but Ivanchuk remains one of the highly respected players.