Indian Grandmaster Murali Karthikeyan continued his strong run at the Asian Continental Chess Championship, notching a vital victory over Russia’s Alexey Grebnev in the fifth round to stay in the lead.
With this win, Karthikeyan moved to 4.5 points, keeping him level at the top with Iran’s Bardiya Daneshvar. The Iranian GM defeated India’s P. Iniyan, who was one of the co-leaders going into the round.
It was a forgettable day for top seed Nihal Sarin, who suffered his first loss of the tournament at the hands of Russia’s Sergei Lobanov. The defeat leaves Sarin stranded at 3 points, and he now faces an uphill task to climb back into title contention.
In the women’s section, Srija Seshadri continued her impressive form with a win against Kazakhstan’s Xeniya Balabayeva. She now shares the top spot with Russia’s Anastasia Bodnaruk, who drew her game against Mongolian Mungunzul Bat-Erdene. Both leaders sit on 4.5 points.
Vantika Agarwal kept her hopes alive by registering a win over compatriot B Savitha Shri. With 4 points, she remains close on the heels of the leaders.
Key Round 5 Results:
Open Section:
Murali Karthikeyan (4.5) bt Alexey Grebnev (3.5)
Bardiya Daneshvar (IRI, 4.5) bt P Iniyan (3.5)
Sergei Lobanov (4) bt Nihal Sarin (3)
M Pranesh (4) bt Imangali Akhilbay (KAZ, 3)
V Karthik (3.5) bt Kirill Shubin (2.5)
Other notable draws: Leon Luke Mendonca, Abhijeet Gupta, Pranav Anand, A R Ilamparthi
Women’s Section:
Srija Seshadri (4.5) bt Xeniya Balabayeva (3.5)
Anastasia Bodnaruk (4.5) drew Mungunzul Bat-Erdene (4.5)
Vantika Agarwal (4) bt B Savitha Shri (3)
P V Nandhidhaa (4) bt Bayasgalan Khishigbaatar (3)
Padmini Rout (3) drew with Liya Kurmangaliyeva (3.5)
With four rounds remaining, the race for top honors is heating up in both categories, as the region’s best players battle for the continental crown and potential World Cup berths.