Asian
Champion Grandmaster Krishnan Sasikiran defeated Ukraine star Sergey
Karjakin 2.5-1.5, signaling his big triumph in the Canarias en Red Internet Chess Festival
that concluded after a week long exciting chess.
Sasi claimed the
winner's purse of Euros 1350, while Karjakin pocked Euros 700.
Losing semi-finalists Dreev and
Gustafsson collected Euros 450
each.
The Internet event
was played under the rules of three minutes for all the moves with one second increment for each move.
Playing the event
right from his home in Chennai (Madras), Sasikiran went through the
second preliminaries when a power black out blew his chances. Undeterred,
Sasi took to the next qualifiers and topped the group, with Karjakin
right behind him.
The week long
event, combined players from all parts of the world, from Chile to
China, from Tahiti to Toronto. The joint effort of ChessBase and
Gran Canaria, is a new move in the chess world and signal firmly the
arrival of high intensity Internet chess in a big way.
Sasi's win with
Ponomariov was the turning point - Krishnan
Immediately after
the event, Chathurangam
spoke to Sasikiran's father Mr Krishnan, who was delighted to share
his prodigious son's big triumph in the Canarias en Red Internet Chess Festival.
When quipped how
the event went for Sasi, Mr Krishnan felt, "Sasikiran was on a
do-or-die situation meeting Ponomariov in the final game of the
qualifier. A crucial win there with black pieces, gave him the
confidence to move on and clinch the title."
Talking about the D
Day when Sasi won the title, Mr Krishnan said, " We had lot of
young visitors who'd come to meet Sasi that day, but we'd locked him
out, so that he can play the event undisturbed. After six hours or
more, Sasikiran emerged from his room conveying his triumph."
On the all important victory in the final against world's youngest
Grandmaster Sergei Karjakin, " The crucial game which Sasi won
was the repeat of the final round Dubai Open game against GM
Goloshchapov. Sasi missed a win there, but was well prepared this
time, and executed the right moves to win the title,"
added Krishnan.
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