COB Revival Final Set: Joel vs Prakhar

by Vivek Sohani - 03/06/2026

The COB Revival semifinals produced two dominant 2-0 results with contrasting styles. In Semifinal 1, Joel Dsouza defeated Vivek Desai through strong central play, tactical precision, and a composed endgame conversion, eventually securing a hard-fought draw in Game 2 to reach the final. In Semifinal 2, Prakhar Gupta completed a clean sweep over Samay Raina, consistently neutralizing aggressive pawn storms and converting superior endgame positions in both games to book his place in the final. The event concluded with a lighthearted third-place match, where Samay defeated Vivek in a tactical Sicilian battle and claimed the symbolic ₹500 prize in a fittingly entertaining finish. Photos: IA/NI Vivek Sohani

Semi final 1 - Joel vs. Vivek (2-0)

Game - 1

Joel Dsouza drew first blood in the COB Revival Semi Final by defeating Vivek Desai in Game 1 after steadily outplaying him from a Stonewall-style setup. Joel built a strong central pawn presence with e4 and fxe5, gaining space and initiative while Vivek missed several chances to challenge the center. As the game progressed, White's pieces became increasingly active around the black king, and with Vivek slipping into severe time trouble, the decisive blunder 21...Be8?? allowed 22.Nxf6+!, leading to a winning tactical sequence that forced major exchanges and left Joel with a crushing material advantage. Joel converted confidently, and after 26...Rf8?, a forced mating attack was unavoidable, prompting Vivek's resignation on move 27 and giving Joel a 1-0 lead in the semi final match.

Game - 2

Needing only a draw after winning the first game, Joel Dsouza successfully booked his place in the COB Revival Final with a hard-fought draw against Vivek Desai in Game 2. The Slav Defence battle was filled with missed opportunities and dramatic swings, with both players blundering winning chances as the clock ticked down. Vivek came closest to turning the match around when he obtained a winning advantage in the rook-and-minor-piece endgame, but a crucial mistake on move 49 allowed Joel to liquidate into a completely equal rook ending. From there, Joel defended accurately and steered the game to a draw after 81 moves, securing the match 1.5-0.5 and becoming the first player to qualify for the COB Revival Final.

Semi final 2 - Prakhar vs. Samay (2-0)

Game - 1

Samay Raina vs Prakhar Gupta Game 1 of the semifinal 2 was a sharp, strategically imbalanced Queen’s Pawn structure where White opted for an early space grab with 8.c5, but quickly transitioned into a kingside pawn storm with g4–f5 and aggressive piece placement around the black king. Prakhar responded with disciplined central control and timely counterplay, notably ...Ne4 and later ...c5 followed by queenside activity that flipped the game’s direction once Black’s queen infiltrated via ...Qxa2 and the rook activity along the b-file. As the position simplified into a rook endgame, Black’s active pieces and superior coordination around passed a- and e-pawns became decisive, while White’s king drifted into passive defense under severe time pressure. Prakhar blundered a Rook in a completely drawn position which was missed by Samay as well! Prakhar secured a full point in first game and went into the Second game with a full point advantage.

Game - 2

Prakhar Gupta booked his place in the COB Revival Final with a dramatic victory over Samay Raina in Game 2 of their semi-final clash. The game was a wild tactical battle from the Trompowsky Attack, with both players missing several opportunities as the evaluation swung repeatedly. Samay built up pressure on the queenside and at one stage held a significant advantage, but a series of mutual blunders around moves 21-31 allowed Prakhar to stay in the fight. With the clock becoming a major factor, Samay's position collapsed after 31...Qc2+ and 32...Rde8, enabling Prakhar to seize the initiative, invade the black king's position, and launch a decisive mating attack. The game concluded with the elegant 41.Qf8#, sending Prakhar into the final against Joel Dsouza.

Samay Wins Third Place Match, says "he felt into a trap set by himself"!

The battle for the legendary ₹500 note delivered exactly the kind of chaos everyone expected as Samay Raina defeated Vivek Desai in a special exhibition match, with the prized currency note standing proudly beside the board and extra queens acting as its loyal bodyguards. Samay navigated the Sicilian confidently, gradually building pressure against the black king before launching a direct assault. With Vivek running low on time, the attack crashed through with 28.Bxg6! followed by 29.Bxh7+!, ripping open Black's defenses. After 30.Qg4+, resignation followed, and Samay finally claimed the ₹500 prize he had jokingly set as a trap for someone else proving that sometimes the trapper ends up taking the treasure home himself.