Jayesh Mishra with white pices
By A Correspondent
Patna: After the eighth round of the Bihar State Sub-Junior Chess Championship, Aishani Pathak of Patna has secured an unassailable lead in the girls’ category with eight points, effectively clinching the title with one round to spare.
In the boys’ category, Jayesh Mishra of Darbhanga has emerged as the sole leader with 7.5 points. His closest rivals trail by a full point at 6.5, placing him in a strong position. Even a draw in the final round would be enough for Jayesh to win the championship, though a loss could open the field, with four players—Pratyush, Advik, Arth and Ekansh—jointly in second place and still in contention.
In the seventh round played earlier in the day, top-board player Pratyush suffered a defeat against Advik, while Jayesh secured a crucial win against Praneet on the second board. This set up a thrilling eighth-round encounter between Jayesh and Advik.
The game, played in the Giuoco Piano opening, saw rapid exchanges of pieces. By move 35, both players were left with a rook each and several pawns, with the position appearing close to a draw. However, displaying remarkable composure, Jayesh extended the game into a long endgame battle and eventually outplayed Advik to claim victory and move into sole lead.
On the second board, Arth of Begusarai and Ekansh of Patna fought a closely contested match that ended in a draw. Both now remain on 6.5 points and will battle again in the final round for a possible share of the title. Meanwhile, Pratyush, after his earlier loss, bounced back strongly by defeating Satyam Sharma, bringing himself back into contention with 6.5 points.
In the girls’ section, leader Aishani Pathak continued her dominant run, defeating Pratiksha Raj of Patna in 55 moves in the endgame. With this victory, she has secured the championship title even before the final round.
On the second board, Navya Goenka of Muzaffarpur faced Mohini Pandit of Saran in a Sicilian Classical game. Both players displayed solid and composed play, but Mohini delivered checkmate on the 52nd move to win the game.
Elsewhere, Arpita of Bhojpur, playing with the white pieces on the third board, defeated Angel of Saran to reach 6.5 points. She now shares second place with Mohini and Pratiksha.
The final round of the tournament will be played tomorrow from 9:30 a.m., followed by the prize distribution ceremony at 3:00 p.m.
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