General Director of Youth and Sports Yunus Akgül paid a visit to the World Youth Chess Championship which takes place in Antalya, Kemer between 11-23 November 2009. Akgul explored the tournament halls and got information about the event from the president of Turkish Chess Federation Ali Nihat Yazici. Afterwards Akgul met with the young promising players of Turkish national team and the group had a memorial photograph taken.

With two rounds until the final, the top performers and results are as follows:

U-8 category: The players with the black pieces won on the top four boards. The second seed Iranian Aryan Gholami leads with 8 points while another Iranian Mohammad Amin Tabatabei is second with 7.5 points. Tanuj Vasudeva from USA is third on the standings with 7 points. In the girls’ category the Indian player Muthyala Bans Prathima lost to the American player Samritha Palakollu and and this put her back on the fifth place on the standings. Palakollu is the sole leader with 8 points, where the Chinese Ruotong Chu is second with 7.5 and the Kazakh Gulziya Demeuova is third with 7 points.

Gentleman from Zimbabwe

U-10 category: On the first board the struggle of two 7 pointed players had the player with the black pieces, Chinese Jinshi Bai won and conquer the top spot. Murali Karthikeyan from India and Semen Khanin from Russia share the second and third places with 7.5 points each. The star player of the girls’ category Gunay Mammadzada continued her perfect string by beating her English opponent Xingliang Anna Wang. Russian Irina Drogovoz and Indian WCM Maria Furtado Ivana share the second and third places with 7 points.

 

Mood training before the round

U-12 category: On the first and second boards the games of players with 6.5 points ended as draws and hence Russian CM Antipov and American Pamatmat share the top spot with 7.5 points. They are pursued by Suri Vaibhav of India who has 7 points. In the girls’ category Russian WFM Anna Styazhkina and Iranian WFM Sarasadat got decisive results to keep their first and second places on the standings with 8 points.

 

Trying to concentrate before the game

 
IM Matlakov Maxim (RUS)                           WIM Kübra Öztürk (TUR)

 

Akgul talking to a little Turkish player

U-14 category: The Peruvian IM Jorge Cori who until the 8th round had a perfect score now has 7.5 points after the 9th round. The Polish untitled player Kamil Dragun who beat IM Cori in the 8th round earned another point to keep his leading position in the group with 7.5 points. In the girls’ category the leader of the group Israeli WFM Marsel Efroimski won again to keep her position. Polish WFM Aleksandra Lach is second with 7.5 points and Luiza Tomaszewska is third with 7 points.

 
Anastasia Savina (RUS)                                           IM Jan Krejci (CZE)

U-16 category: The Indian players with 7 points before this round, IM Santosh Gujrathi Vidit and IM S P Sethuraman kept their shared first and second places by winning again in this round. They are followed by 7 players with 6.5 points. The first seed of the girls’ group WIM T Deysi Cori still leads 8.5 points after today’s win. Georgian WIM Meri Arabidze, Azeri WIM Nizami Qizi Kazimova Narmin and Georgian WIM Mariam Danelia are in pursuit with 7 points each.

 
Spanish GM Salgado                                            Gulnar Mammadova (AZE)

U-18 category: Spanish GM Ivan Salgado Lopez beat Czech IM Jan Krejci to keep his leading position in the group. IM Matlakov from Russia, IM Adhiban from India and IM Rozum from Russia are on the pursuit. In the girls’ category the surprisingly untitled Russian player Anastasia Savina continues to lead with 8 points, the Kazakh WFM Guliskhan Nakhbayeva is second and the local hero WIM Kubra Ozturk who had only a draw today is third on the standings.

 

WGM Sopiko Guramishvili (GEO)                                   WGM Olga Girya (RUS)

 
IM Baskaran Adhiban (IND)                                           IM Kacper Piorun (POL)