Bhakti and Ivana both win 2nd round games

Goa's both players - Ivana Furtado and
WFM Bhakti Kulkarni - won their second round
games in the World Youth Chess Championships
being played at Antalya, Turkey.

Bhakti (ELO 2112) defeated Turkish girl
Berfu Dincok (ELO 1945) in 70 moves of a
Ruy Lopez (Spanish Opening) game. She won
a piece in the opening itself and gradually wore
her opponent down. When we contacted Bhakti,
she expressed satisfaction with the conditions in
the tournament and was happy with the overall
facilities provided by the organisers. Bhakti had a
slice of good luck as well when top seeded Russian
WFM Olga Giriya (ELO 2338) was held to a draw and 2nd
seeded WFM Sopiko Guramishvili (ELO 2305) of Georgia
lost to an unfancied opponent.

Ivana, Goa's other medal hope, also won her game
against Helin Melek Saim of Turkey. Ivana is
trying to defend the crown that she won in Batumi,
Georgia last year and in the process she stands to
become India's youngest double World Champion!

One other defending champion, FIDE Master Girish
Kaushik (ELO 2086) was not so lucky when he lost
to unrated Ayan Akhmetov of Kazhakastan in the
Boys Under 10 Section. Playing his favourite Dragon
Variation of the Sicilian Defence, Girish faced a blistering
attack on his castled King. Although he survived that, the
price he paid was too high in terms of material, and he
eventually succumbed on the 71st move. Indian hopes were
kept alive in the same section, when Asian Champion Shardul
Gagare (ELO 2080) mated his opponent Aksel Sena Bicer
of Turkey in just 31 moves of an English Opening game.

No prizes for guessing the coach of all the three winners -
Ivana, Bhakti and Shardul. He is none other than Dronacharya
Awardee Raghunandan Gokhale who will be trying to
make it a Golden tournament for his students in Antalya!!