Indian WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (ELO 2297) blew hot and cold. Hagawane dished out a creditable performance to score a stunning victory against top-seeded Mongolian IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (ELO 2410) in a fourth round match of the of the SBI Life-AICF Women Grandmaster Chess Championship, jointly organized by the Indian Chess School & South Mumbai Chess Academy under the auspices of All India Chess Federation (AICF) and played at The Acres Club, Chembur.
Indian WIM Aakanksha Hagawane in action during Round 4 of the SBI Life-AICF Women Grandmaster Chess Championship.
However, Hagawane was unable to carry the winning momentum forward and suffered a defeat at the hands of compatriot WIM Srija Seshadri (ELO 2207) in the fifth round. This was Seshadri’s second successive win after she had defeated WIM Vantika Agrawal (ELO 2279) in Round 4. Seshadri, along with Hagawane, WIM Vantika Agarwal and Russian WIM Elena Tomilova, jointly share the sixth position with 2.5 points each.
The top seed Munguntuul, who looks to be low on confidence continued to struggle and was lucky to escape with a draw against candidate WIM Divya Deshmukh of India from the white side of Sicilian Defense.
Meanwhile, the fine four-game winning sequence of Kazakhstan’s fifth-seeded WGM Nakhbayeva Guliskhan (ELO 2323) came to an end as she lost to WGM Tokhirjonova Gulrukhbegim (ELO 2379) from Uzbekistan in the fifth round. Despite the loss Gulrukhbegim with 4 points is in the joint lead with Vietnam’s WGM Thi Kim Phung Vo (ELO 2376), who outwitted India’s Rakshitta Ravi.
The game between Guliskhan and Gulrukhbegim was a Queen’s Gambit Opening in which both players played an attacking game and there was quick exchange of pieces before the latter came out victorious on move 66.
Results – Round 4: WIM Elena Tomilova (RUS, 2334) 2 pts beat WIM Monnisha G.K. (IND, 2295) 1 pts;
WIM Vantika Agrawal (IND, 2279) 1.5 pts lost to WIM Srija Seshadri (IND, 2207) 1.5 pts;
WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (IND, 2297) 2.5 pts beat IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (MGL, ELO 2410) 2.5 pts;
WFM Divya Deshmukh (IND, 2138) 1 pts lost to WGM Guliskhan Nakhbayeva 4 pts (KAZ, 2323) 4 pts;
WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (UZB, 2379) beat Rakshitta Ravi (IND, 2067) 0 pts;
WGM Thi Kim Phung Vo (VIE, 2376) 3.5 pts drew with IM Anna Zozulia (BEL , 2314) 2.5 pts.
Round 5: IM Anna Zozulia (BEL , 2314) 3 pts drew with WIM Elena Tomilova (RUS, 2334) 2.5 pts;
Rakshitta Ravi (IND, 2067) 0 pts lost to WGM Thi Kim Phung Vo (VIE, 2376) 4 pts;
WGM Guliskhan Nakhbayeva (KAZ, 2323) 4 pts lost to WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (UZB, 2379) 3.5 pts;
IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (MGL, ELO 2410) 3 pts drew with WFM Divya Deshmukh (IND, 2138) 1.5 pts;
WIM Srija Seshadri (IND, 2207) 2.5 pts beat WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (IND, 2297) 2.5 pts;
WIM Monnisha G.K. (IND, 2295) 1 pts lost to WIM Vantika Agrawal (IND, 2279) 2.5 pts.
Standing after Round 5: 1. WGM Guliskhan Nakhbayeva (KAZ, 2323) 4 pts, 2. WGM Thi Kim Phung Vo (VIE, 2376) 4 pts, 3. WGM Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova (UZB, 2379) 3.5 pts, 4. IM Anna Zozulia (BEL , 2314) 3 pts, 5. IM Batkhuyag Munguntuul (MGL, ELO 2410) 3 pts, 6. WIM Srija Seshadri (IND, 2207) 2.5 pts, 7. WIM Elena Tomilova (RUS, 2334) 2.5 pts, 8. WIM Aakanksha Hagawane (IND, 2297) 2.5 pts, 9. WIM Vantika Agrawal (IND, 2279) 2.5 pts, 10. WFM Divya Deshmukh (IND, 2138) 1.5 pts, 11. WIM Monnisha G.K. (IND, 2295) 1 pts, 12. Rakshitta Ravi (IND, 2067) 0 pts.