GM Sadhwani impresses in intl chess meet
   Date :28-Aug-2020

GM Sadhwani _1  
 
 
 
Principal Correspondent :
 
NAGPUR’S only Grandmaster Raunak Sadhwani performed exceedingly well in the recently concluded Katara Online International Arena Chess Competition. The online Bullet Finals (one minute chess) was sponsored by the Qatari Chess Association. In the competition, which was studded with world’s best chess brains including Norwegian GM Magnus Carlsen, who eventually won the title, Maharashtra’s youngest GM Sadhwani overcame challenges from higher rated players to reach the quarter-finals.
 
Sadhwani played fluently and was one from 2495 chess masters who were vying for the top five spots in the competition. He beat several tough and higher rated players and stormed through to the quarters. Though Sadhwani failed to reach the semis and missed a chance of playing against Carlsen, he surely impressed several top players in the world of chess. In the quarter-finals of 16 players knock-out round, young Indian GM Sadhwani lost to his higher-ranked GM Daniel Naroditsky in a 12-game bullet blitz format. Sadhwani lost the 12-round battle 3-7 to world’s best online master who was seeded second. Sadhwani, who was seeded 15th in the competition, did not had a great start as he suffered defeats in first two games. However, he fought back and won the next two to draw parity.
 
In the third game, Sadhwani registered a 53-move win and then defended well with Reti opening to post a 53-move victory. Surprised with his opponent’s daring comeback in the match, the American GM changed his strategy and took the lead again. Naroditsky won the sixth game as well but in the next Sadhwani managed to hold his opponent in 38 moves. Sadhwani showed great fighting spirit and played a marathon 88-move draw to bring down the scores to 3-6. But Naroditsky used all his experience to take the 12-game match.
 
Earlier in the first leg of 90-minute Bullet Blitz, Sadhwani played 52 games with a performance rating of 2906 and finished joint third. He had garnered 109 points which helped him enter the knock-out round. Along with Sadhwani Telangana’s Arjun Erigaisi also qualified for the quarters. Erigaisi also lost in last eight battle. The world’s ninth youngest and India’s 65th Grandmaster Sadhwani ended his league rounds behind Armenia’s GM Haik Martirosyan (ELO 2630), US’ Andrew Tang (2538) and Russia’s David Paravyan (2653).