Mumbai 2018
Seventeen year old Iranian GM Maghsoodloo Parham drew his last round game with Italian GM Alberto David to clinch first place. He has a very aggressive, swashbuckling style which impressed everyone.
Alberto and GM Timor Gareyev finished second and third respectively on 7.5, followed by a whole bunch of players on 7 points. The full list can be viewed on
http://chess-results.com/tnr302634.aspx?lan=1&art=1&rd=9&fed=IND&turdet=YES&flag=30&wi=984
Excellent articles and pictures of this event and other Indian tournaments can be viewed on the Chessbase India website.
Since there were lots of professional journalists there I kept my amateur efforts to a minimum, but had to show you this cute video of the little kids dancing.
Vishvanathan Anand, the newly crowned World rapid champion was a special guest, just arriving back in India that day. He gave a simul before the ceremony and gave a short speech to cheering fans.
My own tournament ended as unspectacular as it started with two draws, one from a losing position, the other a winning one.
Round 8.
Since I was playing a sweetly smiling 13 year old girl I thought I’d confuse her with an offset opening, the Nimzowitch defence. Her play, however, was anything but sweet as she proceeded to rip my position to shreds. I only just escaped into a pawn down room ending, which, after twists and turns, I managed to draw by triple repetition, due to her time trouble.
Round 9
Another junior, this time an incessant sniffler. I finally managed to play decently for most of the game, but after reaching an easily winning, exchange up ending, I hesitated, and instead of just putting a rook on a1 and pushing my past a pawn, I overcomplicated the process, in the end blundering a rook to a knight fork. Luckily enough, I was so much ahead, that it was still drawn.
Not my finest result, but…swings and roundabouts.
At least the Masala dosa was waiting for me, and a new discovery. Avocado milkshakes! ?
So my flight back home, via KL, leaves tonight. I have 12 hours to stuff myself with fine Malaysian cuisine before hitting Aussie beaches.
☺☺☺
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