Iran’s Rasht triumphs, KIIT finishes runner-up
September 2, 2017
Top seed Rasht emerged as the champion at the Asian Cities chess championship here on Friday.
The Iranian team, comprising Arash Tahbaz, Mahyaar Mehry, Ali Faghiranvaz, Shahin Sadeh and A.M. Soozanker, finished with 16 points, following its crushing 4-0 win in the ninth and final round against Dubai.
Host and second seed KIIT, took the runner-up spot, with 14 points, despite being held to a draw by Puri. Dhaka, seeded third, also justified the billing, taking the third place with 13 points.
Rasht also walked away with the individual gold on all the five boards, except the second, which was snatched by Rakesh Kumar Jena of KIIT. The Iranian team’s gold medallists were Tahbaz, Faghirnavaz, Sadeh and Soozanker.
Utkal Ranjan Sahoo (KIIT) and Rajesh Nayak (Puri) won the silver, while Kiran Manisha Mohanty (KIIT0 too the bronze.
The results (final round): Rasht bt Dubai; KIIT drew with Puri; Muscat lost to Dhaka; Penang bt KISS Bhubaneswar; Kolkata drew with Cuttack; Taipei lost to Alquds.
The standings: 1. Rasht 16; 2. KIIT 14; 3. Dhaka 13; 4. Penang 12; 5. Kolkata 9; 6. Puri 8; 7-9. Dubai, Muscat & Alquds 7; 10. Taipei 6; 11. KISS Bhubaneswar 5; 12. Cuttack 4.
