11-Sep-2009 129
Fine form, all-out aggression and lady luck helped leading Orissa duo, Swayangsu Satyapragyan and Anwesh Upadhyaya achieve the best ever collective success in the 4th Kolkata Open Grandmaster Chess Tournament, which concluded in Kolkata yesterday.
‘‘I was in good form after playing a series of open international tournaments in France, Holland, Spain and in Bhubaneswar during past three months. The recent experience sharpend my game, boosted my confidence and helped me put up best performance at Kolkata,’’ revealed International Master Satyapragya on his return home today.
‘‘Unlike the past, luck factor worked in my favour this time,’’ admitted the Air India employee Satyapragyan, who not only finished a creditable seventh, but also secured his maiden GM norm. Moreover, ge became a thorn in the flesh of Grandmasters, defeating three of them and forcing four others to draw.
Another credit is that among the top 21 finishers, barring Satyapragyan (IM) all others were Grandmasters. His superb performance also fetched him 32 rating points and took his total closer to the 2500 mark. Speaking on his future plans, Satyapragyan said: ‘‘My next goal obviously is to secure the two more norms for the GM title. But there is hardly any international tournament till December.’’
State champion Anwesh Upadhyaya, who stunned two Grandmaster to obtain his maiden IM norm and 23 rating points, agreed with Satyapragyan about the secret of his success. ‘‘I was in good nick and determined to do well. Sharing a room with Sanam bhai (as Satyapragyan is called by youngsters) also helped me a lot. In the last two rounds against GMs Neelotpal Das and Enamul Hossain, I posted two biggest wins of my career because of my all-out attacking game,’’ described Anwesh.
Local teenager Anwesh said his next goal would be to finish among top five in the National Junior (u-19) Championship, scheduled to start at Chennai on September 20.
PHOTO: Swayangsu Satyapragyan (Left) and Anwesh Upadhya share a cheerful moment in Bhubaneswar today.
