Surgut Team Consolidates Lead at Asian Cities Team Championship
Four rounds are played in Khanty-Mansiysk
The fourth round of the Asian Cities Chess Team Championship took place at the Ugra Chess Academy. Before the start of the game, the captain of the Nepalese team took the floor and asked the participants to observe a moment of silence in memory of the victims of the earthquake that had happened these days nine years ago in Nepal and had claimed more than eight thousand lives.
The Tula team could not stop the leader of the race, the Surgut squad. The home team won with a score of 4:0 and strengthened their leading position.
The Tehran men's team also defeated Colombo (Sri Lanka) with a clean score. On the first board, the tournament's rating favorite, Bardiya Daneshvar, plays for the capital of Iran. After defeating Amarathunga Kosala Sandeepa Chamkara, the Iranian grandmaster briefly commented on the progress of the fight:
“I think I was in a better position in the middlegame, but then the position was equal. There I gradually pussed, and eventually he blundered,” Daneshvar said.
Team Moscow beat Baghdad (Iraq) with a score of 2.5:1.5. Dmitry Kirillov and Marat Gilfanov distinguished themselves.
The women's team of Tehran defeated the young representatives of Khanty-Mansiysk with a score of 3:1. Behzad Nazif Parva and Mitra Asgharzadeh brought success to their team.
Pavlodar (Kazakhstan) defeated Charikot (Nepal) with a narrow score. The victory was achieved thanks to the wins of Arystan Dosmukhambetov and Kristina Kim.
Arystan Dosmukhambetov comments: “My opponent played the same opening as in the second round, so he didn’t really surprise me, and at first everything went according to preparation. There was an equal fight, and at some point I set a trap, he fell into it and blundered a piece. Then, with a piece for two pawns, I transferred the rook to the g-file and finally “finished off” on the kingside.”
The Penang team (Malaysia) beat Al Mahra (Yemen) with a score of 3.5:0.5. The Muscat team (Oman) lost to Al Quds (Palestine) with a score of 1.5:2.5.
The Sukhbaatar team had a bye.
Surgut is in the lead with 8 match points. The men's team of Tehran (13 individual points), the women's team of Tehran (11 individual points) and Moscow (10 individual points) scored 6 points each.
Round 5 pairings:
Tehran (women) – Surgut
Tehran (men) – Moscow
Tula – Baghdad
Pavlodar – Colombo
Al Quds – Penang
Khanty-Mansiysk – Charikot
Al Mahra – Sukhbaatar
Muscat – bye.
Photos: UgraMegaSport
