National Women Chess: Vantika finishes second

Having assured the title and Rs 4 lakh as cash prize on Saturday, Bhakti tried hard to sign off the championship in style. But she signed the peace treaty after 62 moves. With eight and half points in her kitty, Vantika Agrawal of Delhi finished as first runner-up after splitting the point with Mrudul Dehankar of Maharashtra in the last round.

Third seed Divya Deshmukh of Maharashtra matched Vantika on points after beating PV Nandhidhaa of Tamil Nadu, but ended as second runner-up on tie-break score. Vantika became richer by Rs 3 lakh, while Divya pocketed Rs 2 lakh. In the closing ceremony, District Collector of Sivagangai J Jayakanthan, Tamil Nadu State Chess Association Vice President R Anantharam and Chettinad Public School Chairman SP Kumaresan were present.

Important results: Round 11: Bhakti Kulkarni of Air India (10) drew with Pratyusha Bodda of AP (8); Mrudul Dehankar of Maharashtra (8) drew with Vantika Agrawal of Delhi (8.5); PV Nandhidhaa of TN (7.5) lost to Divya Deshmukh of Maharashtra (8.5).