Goa’s Ethan Vaz climbs to 11th place after a win over IM S Nitin in round 8
Taleigao: International Master (IM) Tologon Tegin Semetei of Kyrgyzstan surged into sole lead at the end of Round 8 of the Late Shri Manohar Parrikar Goa International Open Grand Master Chess Tournament, held at the Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Indoor Stadium, Taleigao. Tegin displayed skill to secure 7 points, maintaining a half-point advantage over his closest competitors.
IM Alexander Slizhevsky of Russia and Grandmaster (GM) S.P. Sethuraman of Tamil Nadu, are tied in joint second with 6.5 points each. Slizhevsky’s strong tie-break score of 43 places him marginally ahead of Sethuraman, with 42.5. IM Ayush Sharma of Madhya Pradesh also shares 6.5 points, standing fourth on tie-break with a score of 38.
In a tense encounter, Tologon tegin’s bold attack overwhelmed Fedorov.
Despite some solid central control early on by Fedorov, Tologon Tegin exploited the weak kingside after a series of tactical blows, culminating in an eventual checkmate.
A critical moment came when Fedorov’s queen was forced to retreat, giving Tologon tegin a decisive material advantage. The game ended with a well-executed queen and rook combination, forcing Fedorov into an untenable position.
Meanwhile IM Ameya Audi delivered an impressive performance defeating Adireddy Arjun. Audi, with a 2422 Elo rating, dominated the Sicilian Defense opening and transitioned into a strategic middlegame, where his superior piece coordination and pressure on the queenside earned him a decisive advantage. By the late game, Audi had complete control.
GM Fedorov (2409) vs IM Nguyen (2418)
Ethan Vaz climbed to 11th place in the standings after a commanding victory over International Master S. Nitin in Round 8. Ethan began with the Sicilian Defense. Both players developed their pieces actively, with Nitin opting for a setup that included g4 and a kingside push, while Ethan focused on a flexible pawn structure and quick piece mobilization. Around move 12, Nitin’s aggressive pawn storm on the kingside with g5 and h4 showed his intent to break through Ethan’s defenses. Ethan responded with cautious maneuvering, repositioning his pieces and maintaining control of key squares. By move 16, Ethan was up, capitalizing on Nitin’s slightly weakened position. A pivotal moment occurred on move 22 when Ethan sacrificed a knight for a queenside pawn (22…Nxa3+), solidifying material.
Ethan demonstrated superb endgame technique, pushing his passed pawns and creating threats against Nitin’s king. By move 39, Ethan had a clear winning position. The game ended with Nitin’s resignation after move 49, as Ethan had a decisive advantage and a forced checkmate.
