Palaash Mapara takes sole lead with five straight wins in All India Chess Masters
Mumbai, April 1
Palaash Mapara continued his dominant run, scoring his fifth consecutive victory to emerge as the sole leader after Round 5 of the All India Chess Masters, being played at the Mumbai Chess Centre, in Mumbai on Wednesday.
Playing with the black pieces on the top board, Palaash displayed sharp tactical understanding to outplay Punit Dodiya (4 points).
A strong chasing pack of five players-Shriram Mhasane, Pratik Yadnik, Yashraj Rathi, AGM Rajveer Nahar, and Shreyansh Somaiya-are close behind in joint second place with 4.5 points each.
On the second board, Yashraj Rathi and Pratik Yadnik settled for a draw, sharing the point.
Meanwhile, Shreyansh Somaiya and AGM Rajveer Nahar impressed with fluent victories while playing with the black pieces. Shreyansh defeated Ahaan Kataruka (3.5 points) on the third board, while Rajveer got the better of Shrirang Agharkar (3.5 points).
Shriram Mhasane also delivered a strong performance, defeating Anay Banka (3.5 points) on the sixth board.
Earlier on Tuesday, putting up a solid, calculated performance, Palaash Mapara (4 points), playing with white pieces, cleverly defeated Dhruv Muthe (3 points) on the third board at the end of the fourth round of the All India Chess Masters (Season 3), played at the Mumbai Chess Centre, Pedder Road on Tuesday.
Pratik Yadnik (4 points), also playing with the white pieces, scored his fourth successive win, defeating Aditya Siddharth (3 points) on the fourth board.
Amey Dandekar (4 points) was another successful winner, registering his fourth win as he overcame Viraj Rathi (3 points) on the seventh board.
Results - Round 5 (Top 10):
Punit Dodiya (4) lost to Palaash Mapara (5) - 0-1
Yashraj Rathi (4.5) drew with Pratik Yadnik (4.5) - 0.5-0.5
Ahaan Kataruka (3.5) lost to Shreyansh Somaiya (4.5) - 0-1
AFM Sohum Pawar (4) drew with AIM Akashkumar Yadav (4) - 0.5-0.5
Shrirang Agharkar (3.5) lost to AGM Rajveer Nahar (4.5) - 0-1
Shriram Mhasane (4.5) beat Anay Banka (3.5) - 1-0
Pankaj Borse (4) drew with Anand Iyer (4) - 0.5-0.5
Prisha Margaj (4) beat AFM Omkar Gaikwad (3.5) - 1-0
Tanuj Dayal (4) beat Neev Bafna (3) - 1-0
Pragnay Singh (3) lost to Arjun Singh (3) - 0-1
— IANS
Reader Comments
As a chess enthusiast, I'm impressed by the depth. Not just Palaash, but the chasing pack of five players all on 4.5 points. The competition is fierce! Great to see so many young masters emerging.
Mumbai Chess Centre is becoming a real hub for talent. Palaash beating Punit with black pieces shows his aggressive style. Hope the media gives more coverage to these domestic tournaments, not just when our GMs play abroad.
Shoutout to Prisha Margaj for her win! Good to see female players performing well in an open tournament. We need more women in competitive chess. Keep going!
Solid performance all around. But a small criticism for the organizers: the article is a bit repetitive with the points in brackets. A cleaner table format for results would be easier to read for fans following online.
The draw between Yashraj and Pratik on board 2 must have been a tense affair. Both are strong contenders. The next few rounds will be crucial. All the best to all players! Bas focus rakho.
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