Blitz Tournament #5 – #6
Two blitz tournaments (rated as a single event as all players took part in both) took place at Code Ninjas – Downingtown on August 27th. One tournament was eight rounds at time control game 5 delay 2 (G/5, d2), and the other was 10 rounds of game 3 delay 2 (G/3, d2). There were two sections in each tournament – Open and Under 800 (U800). Many new kids showed up with great enthusiasm.
In G/5, d2, the scores were especially close among the beginners. While slightly experienced tournament player Pranav Srinivasula scored a perfect 8 – 0 score, the new players had much closer results. Second and third were shared by Havish Reddy Chappidi and Sabari Divisha Jambili, each with a 4.5-3.5 result. Just half a point behind, at 4 points was Thartha Prasath. In fifth place was Vehanth Jambili with a 3-5 score.
The 6 players in the Open were all within a couple hundred rating points (Aanya Kollur’s blitz rating was much lower than her regular rating – it is not anymore), so many challenging fights ensued. Though close in rating, the results were largely as expected based on rating. The top two players were Kevin Kennedy (winner on tiebreaks as he beat Gideon Richard 2-0 in their games) and Richard, were both 5.5-2.5. Finishing just a half point back in third was the youngest player in the event, Achintya Puranikmath. Kalyani Puranikmath finished in fourth with an even score. Subhang Nettem and Aanya Kollur finished 2 – 6.
Many excellent and interesting fights occurred in the G/3, d2 sections, as all the players were the same and almost all had a little experience playing each other. In both sections the event was a round robin, meaning each player played everyone else in his section.
Srinivasula again won the Under 800 section. This time he went, 7-1, upset by second place finisher Chappidi, who scored 5.5-2.5. In third place was Sabari with an even score. In 4th place was Thartha Prasath, who finished with 1.5 points and Vehanth was 1-7.
The Open section had some pretty good games as well. Here the three players over 1000 separated themselves a bit from the others. Going into the last round Kalyani and Richard could both win the event and faced each other. Drawing in the first game, whoever won in the second would win the event, a draw would lead to tiebreaks. Kalyani won the game and the event with an 8.5-1.5 score. Kennedy caught Richard and both tied for second – third with a 7.5-2.5 score. In fourth place was Kollur at 4-6. In fifth place was Achintya at 1.5-8.5 and Subhang was close behind at 1-9.
The ratings report can be found at – https://www.uschess.org/msa/XtblMain.php?202308273372-30581140
(Editor’s note: Though it is common to just use last names after having first introduced the person, with several sets of siblings, it can get confusing and so first names were used to better distinguish the players.)
