Teenage chess Masters set pace in Dubai Open

Teens from India, Ukraine and Uzbekistan set the pace with three points each after three rounds of the 21st Dubai Open Chess Championship at the Dubai Chess Club in Dubai.

Teenagers GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 15,  and IM Shamsiddin Vokhidov, 17, both of Uzbekistan, IM Raghunandan Kaumandur Srihari of India, 18, and GM Temur Kuybokarov, 19, of Australia are in the lead pack of 10 players.

Sharing the lead at 3 points each are IM Yeoh Li Tian of Malaysia, 20, former East Asian Zone champion, GM Miguel Santos Ruiz of spain, 20, GM Alan Pichot of Argentina, 21, GM Aleksandar Indjic of Serbia, 24, GM Maxim Matlakov of Russia, 28, and GM Yuriy Kuzubov of Ukraine, 29.

Abdusattorov used the English Opening to outplay WIM Desmukh Divya of India in 46 moves with a double Rook sacrifice to clear the way for double Queen promotion. Vokhidov crushed the Sicilian defense of GM Mustafa Yilmaz of Turkey, gaining a Bishop on the 47th move to force resignation seven moves later.

Raghunandan upset GM Sanal Vahap of Turkey in 49 moves of a Guioco Piano game, exchanging his Queen for two Rooks. Kuybokarov smashed the Queen’s Indian defense of untitled Bharath Subramaniyam of India in 37 moves

Fifteen players follow with 2.5 points each including eight Indians, namely GMs SP Sethuraman, Chanda Sandipan, Harsha Bharathakoti, MR Venkatesh, Vishnu Prasanna, Debashis Das and Deepan Chakkravarthy and IM Sadhwani Raunak.