Padmini Completes Rout With Another Win – By Arvind Aaron
Players from the east swept the podium for the first time in the National Premier Women’s Chess Championship that concluded at Sangli in Maharashtra on November 5, 2014.
Padmini of Bhubaneswar finished with eight wins and three draws to win the 41st National Women Premier that was sponsored by S.B. Reshellers Pvt Ltd and held at The Ambassador Hotel.
Having been assured of the title with a round to spare, Padmini did not cool down. She won a knight and defeated Nimmy George in 62 moves with the black pieces to finish on a high.
The two point difference between her and the rest speaks of the superiority she enjoyed in this 12-player contest. The 1994-born Padmini gained 37.4 Elo from this contest and is on the way to become an International Master.
The other two rating gainers are Ivana Furtado (+32.4) and Bodda Pratyusha (+24.8). The biggest rating loser was Swati Ghate (-43.80). Padmini and Ivana came warm from the World Junior at Pune. Swati was also involved in the World Junior but as a commentator.
The event was organised by Nutan Buddhibal Mandal. L.R. Bhuvanaa of Chennai was the chief arbiter.
The final standings: 1 Padmini Rout (Odi) 9.5/11; 2-3. Nisha Mohota (WB), Mary Ann Gomes (WB) 7.5 each; 4-5. Bhakti Kulkarni (Goa), S. Vijayalakshmi (TN) 7 each; 6 Ivana Furtado (Goa) 6; 7 Nimmy George (Ker) 5; 8 Bodda Pratyusha (Tel) 4.5; 9 Swati Ghate (Mah) 4; 10 V Varshini (TN) 3.5; 11 K Lakshmi Praneetha (AP) 3; 12 Hinduja Reddy (Tel) 1.5.