Harikrishna, Korbut win Junior titles

Junior World Championships The 43rd World Junior and 21st World Junior Girls Championship was held at the Casino Hotel, Cochin, India from Nov. 18th to 30. This event was a 13 Round affair with over 1080 participants from countries all over the world.

Harikrishna, Korbut Win Titles

By Arvind Aaron, Media Coordinator

Grandmaster Pentyala Harikrishna became the second Indian after Viswanathan Anand to win the World Junior Chess Championship when he drew the final round game after a long 50-move encounter at Casino Hotel in Kochi on a historical Tuesday.

Junior world champions Ekaterina Korbut and Pentala Harikrishna

Harikrishna scored 10 points, half point more than the rest in the 71-player field. "It was my career-best result," said Harikrishna who would be gaining around 15 Elo points from this event. It was his second world title. Harikrishna had won the World U-10 championship at Menorca, Spain in 1996.

The girls title was won by top seed Ekaterina Korbut of Russia with 10.5/13. Elisabeth Paehtz of Germany who needed a win for the title was outplayed by India's Kruttika Nadig. Paehtz left the hall in tears for her second place with 9.5 points. IWM Eesha Karavade of India beat Zhang Jilin of China for her second 13-game WGM norm and bronze medal. She too scored the same 9.5 points. "We got into a drawish ending and she (Zhang) kept pushing and lost a pawn and I won," a delighted Karavade explained her game.

Paehtz Elisabeth (Ger) - Nadig Kruttika (Ind)
World Junior Girls 2004 Kochi, India, 2004

After a seesaw game, with an easily drawn position on the board, the exhausted Elli Pähtz commits a capital blunder: 55.Rxd4?? Naturally it was necessary to take with the queen. Now her 16-year-old opponent has 55...Qe1+ 56.Kg2 (56.Kf3 Qe2#) 56...Re2+ 57.Kf3 Rf2+ and White loses her queen. The game ended on move 70 with 0-1.

Silver medal winner WGM Elisabeth Pähtz from Germany

Harikrishna came looking for a victory in the final round. He opened with 1.g3 and his strategy was clear. Better a little surprise than be surprised in the last round. The Hyderabad player won a pawn on the 18th move but play was clearly headed for an opposite colour bishop ending. Opposite colour bishops are known to produce drawn results. Berkes, the top seed, had nothing to gain in this game except that it was a prestigious clash between the top two seeds. Also, Berkes was the roommate of Petrosian who had a chance for the title. Berkes defended the pawn down ending well and drew in 50 moves in a rook and opposite colour bishop ending.

Harikrishna made sure Zhao Jun resigned against the world under-18 champion Radoslaw Wojtaszek of Poland before offering and getting a draw in his game. There was lots of tension and large number of spectators crowded the top three boards in the boys section.

Elizbar Ubilava (left) the trainer of the Indian team at the Calvià Olympiad

"I played mainly the English opening or some side variations," said Harikrishna while speaking to the press. "At Calvia I learnt from GM Elizbar Ubilava (Indian trainer) how to approach and prepare for a game. Playing in the same team with Anand gave me big confidence," said the new 18-year old world junior champion.

About his ambition, he said, "I would like to reach 2650 very soon and look at improving my rating towards the 2800 mark. He is looking for a sponsorship as his old one (2000 to 2004) with a Bangalore based IT major expires in December this year. Harikrishna was accompanied by his father and spoke to his mother and grandfather immediately after winning the title.

Harikrishna won seven games and drew six including his final round encounter. He remained the only undefeated player. "I was solid and played fast," Harikrishna said. Ubilava had told him to play fast and he followed it with rewards as he put his opponents in time pressure in the Anand style.

Asked if the Polish world under-18 champion Wojtaszek did him a big favour by defeating Zhao Jun, Harikrishna said, "(exploding into laughter) yes, I think I owe him a treat!" The Polish player sacrificed a rook for bishop on the 13th turn and won two pawns and a minor piece for a rook and converted that in a nicely executed ending.

Tigran Petrosian of Armenia enjoyed an overwhelming advantage against Iran's Moradibadi. Needing a win in the ending to tie for first place, Petrosian slipped and drew for a shared second.

Korbut faced the queen pawn and went for an irregular variation. Motoc of Romania lost her way early and offered weaker resistance losing two pawns. Thereafter, the Romanian staged a recovery to organise an attack but Korbut defended and kept the pawns intact to win the game and the title.

Gold medal winner Ekaterina Korbut

Korbut becomes the first Russian since Alisa Galliamova (1988) to win the world junior by a clear one point margin. She is superstitious in the sense that she wore the same dress for the last ten games. She is a typical Russian, avoiding to talk to the press. She won eight games and drew five to be the only undefeated player among the 37 girls who participated. She started cautiously with two draws and caught up with the leaders when she beat Ushenina of Ukraine in the middle of the tournament.

A bronze medal for WIM Eesha Karavade of India

"Yes, it was my career best showing," said Eesha Karavade who made her earlier WGM at Pune this September. She played the Berlin defence of the Ruy Lopez with the black pieces to win in 64 moves. Kruttika Nadig who caused the biggest upset in the girls section, by winning the queen of Paehtz to take the fourth place after her 70-move triumph.

It was an eventful tournament for other Indians as well. Deep Sengupta of Jharkhand made his maiden 10-game GM norm. Eesha Karavade obtained her maiden 13-game WGM norm. N. Vinuthna of Hyderabad completed her IWM title requirements. Maharashtra player, Kruttika Nadig living in Bangalore completed her second 14-game IWM norm. Among the visitors, Siti Zulaikha of Malaysia completed her IWM title and Zhao Jun of China became a grandmaster making his third and final norm here.

The prizes were distributed by L.Kuriakose, IRS., Chief Commissioner of Income Tax at a glittering ceremony in the evening. India showed to the chess world that they could organise the World Junior for the fourth time in a third venue. One title in the boys and one bronze medal in the girls is more than what India expected from this meet and it is time for celebration among the chess fraternity in the land which invented chess.

Final standings boys

Final standings girls

All junior world champions

Links

• Official web site (with reports, results, games and standings)
• Introductory report on the event
• Report two