| Independence Day celebrations
at the British Open Chess Championships Scarborough, England, touched a new high thanks to
our Chennai-lad Sundararajan Kidambi who continued his fine run in Europe. Kidambi remained the lone Indian flagbearer for
the second successive time.In Scarborough he secured his second ten game IM Norm
comfortably with a score of 6/10. Exuding confidence, he held four Grand Masters viz., GM
Conquest, GM Summerscale, GM Thipsay and Commonwealth Champion GM Baburin to draws. 16-year-old Kidambi, a student of PSBB School, Chennai, has peaked
at the right time. With the National "B" Championships in Mumbai round the
corner, much will be expected of him and his present run should stand him in good stead.
GM Norm holders, Sasikiran and Kunte, played steadily to make the prize list, but were
never in contention for the
requisite GM Norms.
Among others to catch the eye was the stunning second
round victory of WIM Anupama Gokhale when she defeated GM Nigel Davies of England. She
finished with a score of 5.5/11 ahead of two other Indian women players, Koneru Humpy and
Bhagyashree Thipsay. |