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The World Junior Championship was held in Gaziantep, the sixth largest city and one of the major economic centers in Turkey. There are two central districts within the Centrum, Sahinbay and Sehitkamil. The municipality of Sehitkamil was the host and sponsor of the 2008 World Junior Championship.
Abhijeet Gupta and Harika Dronavalli won the World Junior titles, after dramatic turnarounds, which are frequent in World Junior Championships, this time held in Gaziantep between 2-16 August. The young Indians had brought a second reason to celebrate: August 15, which happens to be the date that India declared its independence from United Kingdom.
The number of rounds left is decreasing, but the excitement in the event keeps rising. In the penultimate round, Abhijeet Gupta continued his comeback by defeating Arik Braun, who has been playing on the very top boards. David Howell won against Maxim Rodhstein to catch up with Abhijeet Gupta, while Parimarjan Negi ground down the Vietnamese grandmaster Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen at 9 points out of 12. The three-way tie at 9 points out of 12 between Abhijeet Gupta, Parimarjan Negi and David Howell is followed by a group of two: Eltaj Safarli and Arik Braun, who are withing striking distance with 8.5 points. Those five players had a chance to win the world junior title.
In the contest for the world junior girls title, Harika Dronavalli gained a large advantage after winning against Narmin Kazimova and reaching ten points. Her closest rival, Mariya Muzychuk, was not able to surpass Anastasia Bodnaruk and is chasing her from further away now, with 9 points. Swaminathan Soumya and Miranda Mikadze drew with each other and share third place with 8.5 points after round 12. Five players led by Kübra Öztürk from the home country are among the group having 8 points.
The World Junior Championship had a very dramatic conclusion, as expected. Abhijeet Gupta won another game, against David Howell, and completed his magnificent sprint in the final rounds of the contest. Abhijeet won the World Junior title with ten points, since Parimarjan Negi drew with Arik Braun.
World Junior Champion 2008: Abhijeet Gupta from India
The victory against David Howell from England on the Independence Day of India meant Abhijeet Gupta is the third Indian world junior champion, after Vishwanathan Anand and Pentala Harikrishna. Parimarjan Negi, the 15-year-old boy, won the silver medal with 9.5 points. Third place was shared by Arik Braun, David Howell, Eltaj Safarli, Hou Yifan and Bassem Amin.
Second place and Silver for 15-year-old Parimarjan Negi, India
On the steps: GM Parimarjan Negi, GM Abhijeet Gupta (both India), IM Arik Braun
(Germany), GM Eltaj Safarli (Azerbaijan), WGM Hou Yifan (China), GM Amin Bassem
(Egypt)
Rank |
SNo. | Title | Name | Rtg | FED | Pts |
1 |
19 | GM | GUPTA Abhijeet | 2551 | IND | 10 |
2 |
26 | GM | NEGI Parimarjan | 2529 | IND | 9½ |
3-7 |
23 | IM | BRAUN Arik | 2533 | GER | 9 |
14 | GM | HOWELL David | 2561 | ENG | 9 |
|
28 | GM | SAFARLI Eltaj | 2527 | AZE | 9 |
|
16 | WGM | HOU Yifan | 2557 | CHN | 9 |
|
13 | GM | AMIN Bassem | 2561 | EGY | 9 |
|
8-14 |
2 | GM | RODSHTEIN Maxim | 2605 | ISR | 8½ |
11 | GM | SO Wesley | 2577 | PHI | 8½ |
|
9 | GM | NGUYEN Ngoc Truong Son | 2579 | VIE | 8½ |
|
29 | IM | MELKUMYAN Hrant | 2507 | ARM | 8½ |
|
8 | GM | ZHIGALKO Sergei | 2583 | BLR | 8½ |
|
33 | GM | WEN Yang | 2487 | CHN | 8½ |
|
21 | IM | SJUGIROV Sanan | 2545 | RUS | 8½ |
|
15-19 |
10 | GM | LE QUANG Liem | 2577 | VIE | 8 |
17 | IM | KRAVTSIV Martyn | 2555 | UKR | 8 |
|
1 | GM | MAMEDOV Rauf | 2627 | AZE | 8 |
|
4 | GM | LAZNICKA Viktor | 2601 | CZE | 8 |
|
53 | IM | DURARBEYLI Vasif | 2413 | AZE | 8 |
|
20 |
1 | GM | MAMEDOV Rauf | 2627 | AZE | 7 |
Harika Dronavalli clinched the world junior girls title by drawing against Katerina Nemcova in the final round. She was out of reach to anybody else in the field. Nazi Paikidze won a crucial victory against Mariya Muzychuk and caught her at 9 points. Mary Ann Gomes was another Indian to win a medal by defeating Miranda Mikadze of Georgia.
World Junior Champion Girls 2008: Harika Dronavalli from India
However, the most dramatic game was between Kübra Öztürk, the hope of the home country and the most successful country in the competition (India). Kübra Öztürk faced Swaminathan Soumya and was close to winning at some point, then almost spoilt it. However, unfortunately for the Indian girl she lost on time when she was very close to a draw, which enabled the Turkish girl from Ankara to bring another historic medal to Turkey after two under-16 European titles. This time a much stronger event and very good fighting chess brought Kübra the first WGM norm achieved by any female players in this country, and the shared second place.
The winners: WFM Nazi Paikdze (Georgia), WGM Nariya Muzychuk (Ukraine),
IM Harika Dronavalli (India), WFM Kübra Öztürk (Turkey), WIM
Mary Ann Gomes (India). All the players who shared the second place received
a silver medal according to the regulations.
Rank |
SNo. | Title | Name | Rtg | FED | Pts |
1 |
1 | IM | HARIKA Dronavalli | 2461 | IND | 10½ |
2-5 |
2 | WGM | MUZYCHUK Mariya | 2413 | UKR | 9 |
31 | WFM | OZTURK Kubra | 2188 | TUR | 9 |
|
7 | WIM | GOMES Mary Ann | 2316 | IND | 9 |
|
14 | WFM | PAIKIDZE Nazi | 2277 | GEO | 9 |
|
6-10 |
18 | WIM | MIKADZE Miranda | 2258 | GEO | 8½ |
12 | WGM | MAMEDJAROVA Turkan | 2284 | AZE | 8½ |
|
4 | WGM | NEMCOVA Katerina | 2372 | CZE | 8½ |
|
38 | KAZIMOVA Narmin | 2148 | AZE | 8½ |
||
3 | WFM | BODNARUK Anastasia | 2394 | RUS | 8½ |
|
11-13 |
10 | WIM | SOUMYA Swaminathan | 2293 | IND | 8 |
8 | WFM | SEVERIUKHINA Zoja | 2300 | RUS | 8 |
|
25 | WIM | NADIG Kruttika | 2241 | IND | 8 |
|
14-23 |
33 | WFM | NAKHBAYEVA Guliskhan | 2170 | KAZ | 7½ |
13 | WFM | ABRAHAMYAN Tatev | 2277 | USA | 7½ |
|
23 | WFM | NIKOLOVA Adriana | 2242 | BUL | 7½ |
|
48 | GUO Qi | 2048 | CHN | 7½ |
||
24 | MUMINOVA Nafisa | 2242 | UZB | 7½ |
||
26 | WIM | YILDIZ Betül Cemre | 2236 | TUR | 7½ |
|
5 | WGM | FOISOR Sabina-Francesca | 2337 | ROU | 7½ |
|
16 | WIM | POURKASHIYAN Atousa | 2269 | IRI | 7½ |
|
11 | WIM | DAULYTE Deimante | 2288 | LTU | 7½ |
|
34 | WFM | SGIRCEA Silvia-Raluca | 2167 | ROU | 7½ |
The World Junior Championship ended gloriously for India, one of the fastest developing chess countries in the world and already very close to the top, with an army of young talents and top grandmasters like Krishnan Sasikiran, Pentala Harikrishna and Koneru Humpy. And of course world champion Vishwanathan Anand. India also won the Asian Games in Doha and looking for many more medals from the cradle of chess them in the future.
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Turkan Mamedyarova, Kübra Öztürk and Betül Cemre Yildiz
chatting before the game
The playing hall, with Nataliya Muzychuk, mother of the Muzychuk sisters,
kibitzing her daughter’s game against Anastasia Bodnaruk
The Indians are coming: Abhijeet Gupta (right), Parimarjan Negi (and Maxim Rodshtein
with the long hair)
Khayala Isgandarova from Azerbaijan, who happens to be a great table-tennis
player, scored 6.5 out of 13.
Grandmaster Xu Jun, trainer of the Chinese youth
GM Ngoc Truong Son Nguyen, 2579, from Vietnam scored 8.5 points and shared
8-14.places
WFM Silvia-Raluca Sgircea from Romania scored 7.5 out of 13
Raushan Kumar Jaiswal from the roof of the world, Nepal, scored 4 out of
13
Jeremias Bianca Albani from Portugal, scored 6 out of 13
Kübra Öztürk, one the way to the first medal in World Junior
Championship for her country
Abijeet Gupta scored five consecutive victories in the final rounds
Amin Bassem, only the second grandmaster of Egpyt, the first ever being
Ahmed Adly, who won the World Junior Championship title last year
Hou Yifan and Lin Chen. Hou received her second grandmaster norm with a
performance of 2661
Narmin Kazimova from Azerbaijan
Fatma Yildiz, one of the dedicated sports experts of the Turkish Chess Federation,
with Turkan Mamedyarova
A table tennis derby between Khayala Isgandarova and Chao Li
Nazi Paikidze, deputy chief arbiter Namig Ismailov and Marie Boyarchenko
Everybody leaving Turkey, a nice farewell photo...
Representatives from all of the organizers together: Honorary President
of FIDE Florencio Campomanes, Continental President of Americas Jorge Vega,
Mayor of Sehitkamil Metin Özkarsli and President of the Turkish Chess Federation
Ali Nihat Yazici
In good health and spirits: Florencio Campomannes, Honorary President of
FIDE
Protocol from the closing ceremony, including the Governor of Gaziantep
Süleyman Kamçi, Member of the Parliament from Gaziantep Ibrahim
Mazicoglu, the Mayor of the Metropolitan Municipality of Gaziantep Dr. Asim
Güzelbey, the sponsor of the event Mayor of Sehitkamil Metin Özkarsli,
Honorary President of FIDE Florencio Campomanes, TCF President and FIDE Vice-President
Ali Nihat Yazici
All pictures by Özgür Akman