Gukesh’s win enhances Chennai’s stature as the hot city of chess

The world may just be beginning to appreciate the talent and potential of 17-year-old Indian GM Dommaraju Gukesh, who became the youngest player ever to qualify for a world title match, but his hometown of Chennai has long been known as a cradle of chess champs.

India’s first and — for now — only world champion, Viswanathan Anand, was born in the southern state of Tamil Nadu and grew up in Chennai, earning the nickname the “Tiger of Madras,” as the city was known until 1996.

Anand’s great triumph set off a chess boom in his hometown that shows no signs of abating. Already the city has hosted a world championship match and an Olympiad, and may very well stage at least a part of Gukesh’s November match with Chinese champion GM Ding Liren.

The Indian publication the Economic Times recently reported that there are some 60 youth chess academies in the city, and Gukesh was joined by three other Indian GMs in the recent Candidates Tournament and two Indian entrants in the women’s Candidates event.

WGM Savitha Shri B — just like Gukesh — is a 17-year-old Chennai product with a bright, bright future in the game.

She was part of the bronze medal-winning Indian women’s team at the 44th Olympiad two years ago, but her best individual result was an unexpected third-place finish at the FIDE World Rapid Championships played that same year in Almaty, Kazakhstan. A key game was her seesaw battle with veteran Georgian GM Bella Khotenashvili, a classic rapid affair in which both sides had chances for the win.

Savitha’s decision to castle long in this Caro-Kann line is a bit of a provocation, as Black now knows where to launch her attack. The decision grows even dicier after 14. Bd2 Nc4 15. Bxc4?! (Bc1 Rb8 16. a3 was sturdier) as White gives up a prize bishop and opens the b-file as well.

The game nearly goes off the rails on 20. Rh1?? g6?? (Bf5!, missed by both players, looks to win on the spot: 21. Qb2 [Rh5 fails to 21…g5 22. b4 Bxc2 23. bxa5 Rb1 mate] Qxa2+! 22. Kxa2 Ra6 mate) 21. Rde1 Kg7 (Bf5 22. Re8+ Kg7 23. Re4) 22. g4 Rh8, and dynamic equality is restored with both sides still having strong attacks.

Savitha’s 23. gxh5?! (White admirably pushes forward every chance she gets, but 23. f3! Ra6 24. a3 Qa4 25. Qb1 Qb3 26. Bd2 was better) Bf5 24. h6+ Kh7 25. Re4! is the only way to keep the struggle alive, giving up the exchange to secure some quality counterplay.

White proves cooler than her more experienced rival in the game’s critical sequence, with the limited time control probably a factor here: 27. Qe7 Qe6 28. Qxa7!? (Re1 Qxe7 29. Rxe7 g5 30. Rxa7 Kxh6 31. Be3 [Rxf7?! Kg6 32. Re7 Rh2] Kg6, and White is still fighting to survive in a tough ending) Rhb8 (see diagram; Savitha finds a nice swindle that Khotenashvili falls for) 29. Re1! R6b7?? (of course not 29…Qxe1?? 30. Qxf7+ and mate next, but Black did have 29…Rxb2! 30. Qxb8 [Bxb2 Qxe1 is now check] Rxb8 32. Rxe6 fxe6 32. g4 g5 — the White h-pawn will soon fall and Black should convert the ending) 30. Rxe6 Rxa7 31. Rxc6 Re8 32. Be3, and remarkably, White has reached an ending where her king is safe and she has three healthy pawns for the exchange.

The White bishop proves a tower of strength and, after the Black c-pawn falls, White has three connected passed pawns that the Black rooks can do little to hold back. In the final position after 52. Bxf4 Kb6 53. Bxb8, Khotenashvili resigns as 53…Rxb8 (Kxa5 54. a7) 54. a7 Kxb7 55. axb8=Q+ Kxb8 56. Rc5 is an elementary win for White

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GM Leon Luke Mendonca has a full year on Gukesh and Savitha, but the 18-year-old grandmaster from Goa, India is on a hot streak of his own. He started the year by winning the Challengers section of the Tata Steel Chess Tournament in Wijk aan Zee, earning a slot in the next year’s premier section of one of the world’s strongest tournaments.

Mendonca has stayed hot with a first-place 6-3 finish in the just-completed St. Louis Spring Chess Classic over a quality field.

His Round 9 Sveshnikov Sicilian opening battle with Polish-American GM Dariusz Swiercz in St. Louis was pretty much a draw, as Black gets a very playable position after 17. Bf2 Rf6. But Mendonca finds a nice way to forestall Black’s kingside attacking ambitions with 22. Ne3 Bd8 23. Rc6!, a textbook use of the modern exchange sacrifice as a positional weapon.

Accepting the gift with 23…Bxc6? 24. dxc6 Nf8 25. Nd5 Re6 26. Bxa6 plays right into White’s hands, so the presumptuous rook stands ignored for move after move by both players. Swiercz tries to prosecute his attack anyway, but appears to mistime the break: 28. Nxc4 h4? (it looks equal after the more modest 28…Bc7 29. Ne3 Bxc6 [finally!] 30. dxc6 Rxb4 31. Nd5 Rd4 32. Nxf6+ Qxf6 33. Qb1 Nf4 34. Qb7 Ne6) 29. Nxd6 Qd7 30. Nxb7 hxg3 (Rxb7 31. Bf2 Rxb4 32. Bxg6 wins a piece) 31. Bxg6 Qh3 32. Qe2 Rxb7 33. Qg2 Qxg2+ 34. Kxg2 gxh2 35. Rb1, and White preserves a queenside pawn phalanx that, as in the first game, proves decisive in the end.

After Black’s a-pawn falls, White can even give up a piece as long as his pawns are free to advance: 43. Rxd6 Bxd6 44. a5! Rh4+ 45. Kg2 Rg4+ 46. Kf1 Rxg6 47. a6, and despite being down a piece for a pawn, White is winning. The checks run out for Black after 51. Ke2 Ra2+ 52. Kd1 Ra1+ 53. Kc2, and after the desperate 53…Bc5 54. Rxc5, Black resigned.

(Click on the image above for a larger view of the chessboard.)

Savitha-Khotenashvili, FIDE Women’s World Rapid Championship, Almaty, Kazakhstan, December 2022

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Nf6 5. Nxf6+ exf6 6. c3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. Qc2 Re8+ 9. Ne2 h5 10. Be3 Nd7 11. O-O-O b5 12. Ng3 Qa5 13. Kb1 Nb6 14. Bd2 Nc4 15. Bxc4 bxc4 16. Rhe1 Be6 17. Ka1 Rab8 18. Bc1 Bxg3 19. hxg3 Rb6 20. Rh1 g6 21. Rde1 Kg7 22. g4 Rh8 23. gxh5 Bf5 24. h6+ Kh7 25. Re4 Bxe4 26. Qxe4 Qd5 27. Qe7 Qe6 28. Qxa7 Rhb8 29. Re1 R6b7 30. Rxe6 Rxa7 31. Rxc6 Re8 32. Be3 f5 33. g3 Ra4 34. Kb1 Re7 35. d5 Rd7 36. d6 Ra8 37. Bf4 f6 38. Rc7 Rd8 39. Rxc4 g5 40. Be3 Rxd6 41. a4 Kxh6 42. a5 Ra8 43. Ra4 Kg6 44. Kc2 Kf7 45. b4 Ke6 46. b5 Rdd8 47. a6 Kd5 48. b6 Kc6 49. b7 Rab8 50. Ra5 f4 51. gxf4 gxf4 52. Bxf4 Kb6 53. Bxb8 Black resigns.

Mendonca-Swiercz, St. Louis Spring Chess Classic ’A,’ St. Louis, April 2024

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 e5 6. Ndb5 d6 7. Nd5 Nxd5 8. exd5 Nb8 9. a4 Be7 10. Be2 O-O 11. O-O Nd7 12. b4 a6 13. Na3 b6 14. Nc4 Rb8 15. Be3 f5 16. f3 f4 17. Bf2 Rf6 18. Ra3 Qe8 19. g4 fxg3 20. Bxg3 Qf7 21. Rc3 Bb7 22. Ne3 Bd8 23. Rc6 h5 24. Kh1 Nf8 25. Bd3 Ng6 26. Be4 b5 27. c4 bxc4 28. Nxc4 h4 29. Nxd6 Qd7 30. Nxb7 hxg3 31. Bxg6 Qh3 32. Qe2 Rxb7 33. Qg2 Qxg2+ 34. Kxg2 gxh2 35. Rb1 h1=Q+ 36. Kxh1 Rxf3 37. Rxa6 Rf4 38. Re6 Re7 39. Rd6 Bc7 40. Rc6 Rd7 41. b5 Rd6 42. b6 Bb8 43. Rxd6 Bxd6 44. a5 Rh4+ 45. Kg2 Rg4+ 46. Kf1 Rxg6 47. a6 Rg4 48. a7 Ra4 49. Rc1 Kf7 50. Rc8 Ra1+ 51. Ke2 Ra2+ 52. Kd1 Ra1+ 53. Kc2 Bc5 54. Rxc5 Black resigns.

• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.