SYNA 04-06: Srinath and Gusain share lead
Central India's richest tournament with Rupees five lakh prize fund, SYNA Open 2016, began in Katni, Madhya Pradesh. It promised to be an intense fight as strong players like Swapnil Dhopade, N.Srinath, Himal Gusain, Himanshu Sharma are in contention for the top prizes. At the end of six rounds, IM Srinath Narayanan and Himal Gusain share the lead with 5.5/6. An illustrated report.
SYNA 04-06: Srinath and Gusain share lead
The much awaited SYNA Open 2016 kicked off on the 24th of April in the SYNA International school, Katni, Madhya Pradesh. It is a nine-round Swiss tournament that has attracted 170 players from all the corners of India. The event will last for six days and the last round will be played on 29th of April. The first prize of the tournament is a hefty Rs. 1,00,000 and this has attracted one grandmaster and six International Masters to participate in the tournament. GM Swapnil Dhopade is the top seed with a rating of 2499.
At the end of three rounds, a bunch of players was sharing the lead with perfect scores and the next three rounds witnessed some quality clashes on the top boards.
The playing arena in all its glory
The second seed IM Srinath Narayanan (2469) beat Arpan Das (2161) in the fourth round but was held to a draw in the fifth round by Abhishek Das (2241).
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "N. Srinath"]
[Black "Arpan Das"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B72"]
[WhiteElo "2469"]
[BlackElo "2161"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "N. Srinath"]
[Black "Arpan Das"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B72"]
[WhiteElo "2469"]
[BlackElo "2161"]
[PlyCount "105"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 a6 7. f3 b5 8. Qd2
Bb7 9. a4 b4 10. Na2 e5 11. Nb3 d5 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. exd5 Qb6 14. a5 Qd6 15. c4
bxc3 16. Nxc3 Nxd5 17. Rd1 Qb4 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Nc1 Be6 20. Be2 f6 21. Be3
Qxd2+ 22. Bxd2 Bc5 23. Bc3 Ke7 24. Nd3 Bb3 25. Rc1 Bd6 26. Nb4 Nc5 27. Kf2 Rhc8
28. Bd2 Kf7 29. Nxa6 Nxa6 30. Rxc8 Rxc8 31. Bxa6 Rc2 32. Ke3 Rxb2 33. Rc1 f5
34. Bb7 Bc4 35. Rxc4 Rxb7 36. a6 Ra7 37. Ra4 Ke6 38. Kd3 Bc5 39. Kc4 Kd6 40.
Kb5 Ra8 (40... Rc7 41. Bb4 Kd5 42. a7) 41. Bb4 Bxb4 42. Kxb4 Kd5 43. a7 Kd4 44.
Kb5+ Kd3 45. Kc5 e4 46. fxe4 fxe4 47. Ra3+ Kd2 48. Kd4 Ke2 49. Kxe4 Kf2 50.
Ra2+ Kg1 51. g4 h5 52. gxh5 gxh5 53. h4 1-0
Bb7 9. a4 b4 10. Na2 e5 11. Nb3 d5 12. Bg5 Nbd7 13. exd5 Qb6 14. a5 Qd6 15. c4
bxc3 16. Nxc3 Nxd5 17. Rd1 Qb4 18. Nxd5 Bxd5 19. Nc1 Be6 20. Be2 f6 21. Be3
Qxd2+ 22. Bxd2 Bc5 23. Bc3 Ke7 24. Nd3 Bb3 25. Rc1 Bd6 26. Nb4 Nc5 27. Kf2 Rhc8
28. Bd2 Kf7 29. Nxa6 Nxa6 30. Rxc8 Rxc8 31. Bxa6 Rc2 32. Ke3 Rxb2 33. Rc1 f5
34. Bb7 Bc4 35. Rxc4 Rxb7 36. a6 Ra7 37. Ra4 Ke6 38. Kd3 Bc5 39. Kc4 Kd6 40.
Kb5 Ra8 (40... Rc7 41. Bb4 Kd5 42. a7) 41. Bb4 Bxb4 42. Kxb4 Kd5 43. a7 Kd4 44.
Kb5+ Kd3 45. Kc5 e4 46. fxe4 fxe4 47. Ra3+ Kd2 48. Kd4 Ke2 49. Kxe4 Kf2 50.
Ra2+ Kg1 51. g4 h5 52. gxh5 gxh5 53. h4 1-0
[Event "?"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.26"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Abhishek Das"]
[Black "N.Srinath"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2241"]
[BlackElo "2469"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.26"]
[Round "5"]
[White "Abhishek Das"]
[Black "N.Srinath"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "B90"]
[WhiteElo "2241"]
[BlackElo "2469"]
[PlyCount "76"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 Nf6 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. a4 e5 7. Nf3 Be7 8. Bc4
O-O 9. O-O Be6 10. Bb3 Qc7 11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Qd3 Rfc8 14. Rfd1
Rab8 15. Nd2 Qc6 16. Nf1 b5 17. axb5 axb5 18. Ne3 Bc4 19. Ned5 Nxd5 20. Nxd5
Qxd5 21. Qxd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5 Ra8 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Kf1 Rb8 25. Rd1 Ra8 26. Bd5
Ra6 27. Rd3 Kf8 28. Rb3 Ra5 29. c4 Bd8 30. Rxb5 Rxb5 31. cxb5 Bb6 32. Ke2 Ke7
33. f3 g6 34. Kd3 f5 35. exf5 gxf5 36. g4 e4+ 37. fxe4 fxg4 38. Ke2 Bg1 1/2-1/2
O-O 9. O-O Be6 10. Bb3 Qc7 11. Bg5 Nbd7 12. Bxf6 Nxf6 13. Qd3 Rfc8 14. Rfd1
Rab8 15. Nd2 Qc6 16. Nf1 b5 17. axb5 axb5 18. Ne3 Bc4 19. Ned5 Nxd5 20. Nxd5
Qxd5 21. Qxd5 Bxd5 22. Rxd5 Ra8 23. Rxa8 Rxa8 24. Kf1 Rb8 25. Rd1 Ra8 26. Bd5
Ra6 27. Rd3 Kf8 28. Rb3 Ra5 29. c4 Bd8 30. Rxb5 Rxb5 31. cxb5 Bb6 32. Ke2 Ke7
33. f3 g6 34. Kd3 f5 35. exf5 gxf5 36. g4 e4+ 37. fxe4 fxg4 38. Ke2 Bg1 1/2-1/2
Untitled Himal Gusain (2429) was held by Maharashtra's Atul Dahale (2112) in the fourth round.
[Event "SYNA OPEN 2016"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Atul Dahale"]
[Black "Himal Gussian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2112"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Atul Dahale"]
[Black "Himal Gussian"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "D31"]
[WhiteElo "2112"]
[BlackElo "2429"]
[PlyCount "91"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 c6 4. e4 dxe4 5. Nxe4 Bb4+ 6. Nc3 Nf6 7. Nf3 c5 8. a3
Ba5 9. Qd3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 e5 11. Ndb5 Qxd3 12. Bxd3 Bxc3+ 13. Nxc3 Nc6 14. O-O
Be6 15. Bg5 O-O-O 16. Rfd1 h6 17. Be3 Ng4 18. Nd5 Nxe3 19. fxe3 Bxd5 20. cxd5
Ne7 21. e4 Kc7 22. Rf1 f6 23. h4 Kd6 24. Kf2 Rc8 25. Rac1 a5 26. Ke3 Rxc1 27.
Rxc1 Rc8 28. Rf1 f5 29. exf5 Nxd5+ 30. Kd2 Nf6 31. g4 e4 32. g5 exd3 33. gxf6
gxf6 34. Re1 Rc2+ 35. Kxd3 Rxb2 36. Re6+ Kc5 37. Rxf6 Rb3+ 38. Ke4 Rxa3 39.
Rxh6 a4 40. f6 Kd6 41. f7+ Ke7 42. Rh8 Kxf7 43. Rh7+ Kg6 44. Rxb7 Ra1 45. Kd3
Kh5 46. Ra7 1/2-1/2
Ba5 9. Qd3 cxd4 10. Nxd4 e5 11. Ndb5 Qxd3 12. Bxd3 Bxc3+ 13. Nxc3 Nc6 14. O-O
Be6 15. Bg5 O-O-O 16. Rfd1 h6 17. Be3 Ng4 18. Nd5 Nxe3 19. fxe3 Bxd5 20. cxd5
Ne7 21. e4 Kc7 22. Rf1 f6 23. h4 Kd6 24. Kf2 Rc8 25. Rac1 a5 26. Ke3 Rxc1 27.
Rxc1 Rc8 28. Rf1 f5 29. exf5 Nxd5+ 30. Kd2 Nf6 31. g4 e4 32. g5 exd3 33. gxf6
gxf6 34. Re1 Rc2+ 35. Kxd3 Rxb2 36. Re6+ Kc5 37. Rxf6 Rb3+ 38. Ke4 Rxa3 39.
Rxh6 a4 40. f6 Kd6 41. f7+ Ke7 42. Rh8 Kxf7 43. Rh7+ Kg6 44. Rxb7 Ra1 45. Kd3
Kh5 46. Ra7 1/2-1/2
Srinath isn't too happy with the quality of his play, but a win over IM Himanshu Sharma (2384) in the sixth round means that he is leading the tournament with 5.5/6.
Himal clawed back nicely with two consecutive wins to join Srinath in the lead with 5.5/6.
The much-awaited clash between the student and the teacher was an enthralling affair. Veteran International Master Anup Deshmukh went full monty for a sacrificial attack:
[Event "SYNA OPEN 2016"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "SWAPAIL DHOPADE"]
[Black "ANUP DESHMUKH"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "2016.04.26"]
[Round "4"]
[White "SWAPAIL DHOPADE"]
[Black "ANUP DESHMUKH"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D46"]
[PlyCount "57"]
[EventDate "2016.??.??"]
[SourceDate "2003.06.08"]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 e6 5. Nf3 Nbd7 6. Qc2 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O
dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 10. Bb3 Qe7 11. h3 a5 12. a3 a4 13. Ba2 Ra5 14. Bd2 exd4 15.
exd4 Rh5 16. Rfe1 Qd8 17. Nxa4 Nd5 18. Nc3 N7f6 19. Ne5 Bxh3 20. gxh3 Qc8 21.
Nxd5 Rxh3 22. Nb6 Rh1+ 23. Kxh1 Qh3+ 24. Kg1 Bxe5 25. dxe5 Qg4+ 26. Kf1 Qh3+
27. Ke2 Qh5+ 28. f3 Ng4 29. Rh1 1-0
dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 10. Bb3 Qe7 11. h3 a5 12. a3 a4 13. Ba2 Ra5 14. Bd2 exd4 15.
exd4 Rh5 16. Rfe1 Qd8 17. Nxa4 Nd5 18. Nc3 N7f6 19. Ne5 Bxh3 20. gxh3 Qc8 21.
Nxd5 Rxh3 22. Nb6 Rh1+ 23. Kxh1 Qh3+ 24. Kg1 Bxe5 25. dxe5 Qg4+ 26. Kf1 Qh3+
27. Ke2 Qh5+ 28. f3 Ng4 29. Rh1 1-0
Swapnil is the only grandmaster in the fray and is on 5.0/6
Saurabh Anand (2065) is doing well on 5.0/6.
Little Diva Bajaj is having a challenging time solving all the problems.
A total of 154 players are playing in the competition...
...and young minds are taking on the experienced hands in this sport which truly cuts across the age barrier.
And not to forget, it also renders the role of gender void, at least at the grass root level.
Vanshika Bajpai is a third standard student of the host school SYNA International — goes to show that chess has made significant inroads in the school.
So much so that the school teachers themselves are officiating and are the key members of the organizing team! Credits are due to the school authorities, teachers, students and also Niklesh Kumar Jain, the driving force behind the tournament.
Atul Dahale is playing solidly and is on 5.0/6. He conducted an exclusive workshop for about 80 chess lovers at the tournament, explaining the efficient and optimal utilization of the ChessBase Account. Find more information on our products here.
Pairings for Round 07:
| M. | No. | Nombre | Elo | Pts. | Resultado | Pts. | Nombre | Elo | No. | ||
| 1 | 3 | Gusain Himal | 2429 | 5½ | 5½ | IM | Narayanan Srinath | 2469 | 2 | ||
| 2 | 19 | Dahale Atul | 2112 | 5 | 5 | GM | Swapnil S. Dhopade | 2499 | 1 | ||
| 3 | 7 | IM | Suvrajit Saha | 2260 | 5 | 5 | CM | Sadhwani Raunak | 2167 | 16 | |
| 4 | 10 | Abhishek Das | 2241 | 5 | 5 | IM | Murali Krishnan B T | 2255 | 8 | ||
| 5 | 9 | Debarshi Mukherjee | 2245 | 5 | 5 | Saurabh Anand | 2065 | 24 | |||
| 6 | 4 | IM | Himanshu Sharma | 2384 | 4½ | 4½ | Dhananjay | 2076 | 22 | ||
| 7 | 11 | IM | Deshmukh Anup | 2213 | 4½ | 4½ | Joshi Govind Ballabh | 2073 | 23 | ||
| 8 | 21 | Wagh Suyog | 2081 | 4½ | 4½ | Kumar Gaurav | 2212 | 12 | |||
| 9 | 14 | Tiwari Arjun | 2175 | 4½ | 4½ | Joshi Manish | 2041 | 26 | |||
| 10 | 17 | Arpan Das | 2161 | 4½ | 4½ | Prajesh R | 1940 | 35 |
For the complete pairing and other information, click here.
Photos by the tournament organizing team