Aravindh helps Thane Combatants win Maharashtra Chess League title

PUNE: Young GM Aravindh Chithambaram saved his best for the last as he turned the tables on GM Abhijeet Gupta to inspire Thane Combatants to a thrilling 4-2 win over Ahmednagar Checkers in the 3rd Maharashtra Chess League final on Sunday.
"Of course, there was a lot of pressure. I had not done well in the tournament, so I was very upset," he said.
Wins from another youngster Abhimanyu Puranik and WGM Soumya Swaminathan ensured Thane lifted the title.
For Ahmednagar, the lone win by Shardul Gagare, skillfully executed over IM Ratnakaran, went in vain.
WGM Eesha Karavade was held by Vignesh NR while the other high-profile match featuring GM MR Lalith Babu and GM Shyam Sundar was evenly poised before they agreed for truce. Following Aravindh's stunning win, which came at 5.53 pm, Shyam had the burden of pulling it off.