Ivana Furtado Wins Asian Junior Girls

By Arvind Aaron

Woman International Master Ivana Maria Furtado of Goa won the Asian Junior Chess Championship for girls yet again at Shiraz in Iran on May 10, 2017.

Ivana of Rosary Higher Secondary School, Dona Paula in Goa remained undefeated and gained 14 Elo from this event. She won five games and drew four in the nine round Swiss format contest.

Ivana, 18, had won the World Under-8 twice in a row in 2006 and 2007. She won the Asian Junior girls in 2012 at Tashkent. Indian girls swept the podium with Meghna and Rutumbara winning the silver and bronze medals.

Like Indians dominated the girls section, Iran dominated the Open section taking the top five placings! Indians, IM M.N. Shaikh got the tenth place with 5.5/9, Kumar Gaurav (14th), IM Harsha Bharathakoti (18th) scored 5 each. The chief arbiter was IA Arvin Abrishami of Iran and the event ran from May 3-10, 2017.

Final placings: (Open): 1 IM Masoud Mosadeghpour (Iri) 8/9; 2-3. IM Alireza Firouzja (Iri), Arash Tahbaz (Iri) 7 each; 4-7. IM Aryan Gholami, Arash Daghli (both Iri), IM Tran Tuan Minh (Vie), IM Mersad Khodashenas (Iri) 6.5 each…53 players from 8 nations.

Final placings (Girls): 1 WIM Ivana Furtado 7/9; 2-C.H. Meghna 6.5; 3-5. WFM Bidhar Rutumbara, Alijanzadeh Mohadesh (Iri), Harshita Guddanti 6 each…22 players from five nations.