Chess players achieve best ever collective success

Orissa chess players achieved their best ever collective success in the 4th Kolkata Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament, which concluded at Gorky Sadan in Kolkata today as strongest event in Asia. International Master Swayangsu Satyapragyan, the highest Fide rated player of the state, occupied a creditable seventh position in the final standings to receive a cash prize of Rs 30,000. He forced eventual champion, Grandmaster Liem Le Quang (Vietnam) in the 10th and final round to finish with seven points. The Air India employee also made his maiden GM norm, defeating three Grandmasters and holding four of them to creditable draws in the process. Satyapragyan’s elder brother Swayangsu Satyakam described the performance as magnificent. ‘‘The top 20 positions were occupied by GMs. It was an outstanding achievement that Satyaprgyan was only IM among them,’’ he explained. ‘‘Another achievement is that he gained 32 rating points. In a strong tournament like this, it is not easy,’’ added Satyakam. State champion Anwesh Upadhyaya stunned Bangladesh Grandmaster Enamul Hossain in the last round to occupy the 33rd position with a total of six points. The Bhubaneswar teenager, who upset Grandmaster Neelotpal Das earlier in the ninth round, also secured his maiden IM norm in the process. Among other two Orissa players, Woman International Master Padmini Rout upset International Master PDS Girinath to be placed 64th with five points, while Swayams Mishra took the 76th position with 4.5 points. Orissa results (Round 10): Swayangsu Satyapragyan (7) drew with Liem Le Quang (Vie), Anwesh Upadhyaya (6) beat Enamul Hossain (Ban), Padmini Rout (5) PDS Girinath (Ind), Swayams Mishra (4.5) lost to Somak Palit (Ind).