Xu Jun takes over as sole leader

By S. Sabanayakan

KOLKATA, AUG. 11. Chinese Grandmaster Xu Jun won two rounds on Saturday to shoot into the lead with four points as two Middle- East stalwarts, Grandmaster Mohamad Al-Modiahki of Qatar and International Master Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran, followed half a point behind at the end of the third and fourth rounds of the third Asian Individual chess championship at the Gorky Sadan here.

Lying in the joint third position were eight players on three points. GM Praveen Thipsay drew both his games and was the best- placed Indian with three points. Following him were GMs Dibyendu Barua and Krishnan Sasikiran with 2.5 points each. Thipsay drew the third round against Maghami and later signed a peace treaty with Alexei Barsov of Uzbekistan.

Barua gained 1.5 points from two games, winning the third and drawing the fourth. Playing untitled Elshan Moradiabadi of Iran this morning, he was fortunate enough to win with black pieces in a Queens Gambit Declined game. Early in the game, Barua lost tempo with his queen moves but won a piece when his opponent missed a tactical move on the 27th.

Barua drew his fourth game in 39 moves in a Sicilian Pelican variation against Kazakh GM Evgeny Vladimirov. He held some advantage but it looked insufficient to force a win.

Sasikiran won both his games, beating IM Anvar Nazarov of Tejikistan in the third round and compatriot Sriram Jha in 71 moves in the fourth. In a Sicilian Irregular, Sasikiran enjoyed huge space advantage but Jha defended well. Jha, however, blundered on the 65th move to lose the game.

GM Jun had IQP in a Queens Gambit setup but created two weaknesses on c6 and a6. With skillful play, Jun managed to eliminate his c6 weakness and controlled the centre with heavy pieces. In a time scramble, GM Safin went for a two-move trap, taking f6 pawn with his rook. But the Chinese recaptured correctly with the g pawn and his opponent resigned immediately on move 27.

The results (fourth round): Shukhrat Safin (Uzb) 2.5 lost to Xu Jun (Chn) 4; Tahir Vakhidov (Uzb) 3 drew with Leonid Yurtaev (Kgz) 3; Ehsan Ghaem Maghami (Iri) 3.5 bt Reefat Bin Sattar (Ban) 2.5; Alexei Barsov (Uzb) 3 drew with P.M. Thipsay (Ind) 3; Mark Paragua (Phi) 2.5 lost to Mohamad Al Modiahki (Qat) 3.5; Morteza Mahjoob (Iri) 3 drew with We Wenjin (Chn) 2.5; Peng Xiaomin (Chn) 2.5 drew with Liang Jingrong (Chn) 2.5; D. Barua (Ind) 2.5 drew with E. Vladimirov (Kaz) 2.5; Pavel Kastur (Kaz) 2 lost to Marat Dzhumaev (Uzb) 3; Abdulla Al-Rakib (Ban) 3 bt Liang Chong (Chn) 2; A. Kunte (Ind) 2 lost to Zhang Pengxiang (Chn) 3; Eugene Torre (Phi) 2.5 drew with Ziaur Rahman (Ban) 2.5; Li Wenliang (Chn) 2.5 drew with Anh Dung Nguyen (Vei) 2.5; Wang Yue (Chn) 2.5 drew with P. Harikrishna (Ind) 2.5; K. Sasikiran (Ind) 2.5 bt Sriram Jha (Ind) 2; Jamshed Isaev (Tjk) 1.5 lost to Utut Adiato (Ina) 2.5; Vladimir Egin (Uzb) 2.5 bt Murtas Kazhzaleyev (Kaz) 1.5; Liu Dede (Ina) 1.5 lost to Darmen Sadvakasov (Kaz) 2.5; Wang Zili (Chn) 2.5 bt Hoang Thanh Trang (Vei) 1.5; D.V. Prasad (Ind) 2 drew with Vladimir Magai (Kgy) 2; Rogelio Antonio Jr (Phi) 2.5 bt Barlo A. Nadera (Phi) 1.5; Yu Shaoteng (Chn) 2 drew with Fernie Donguines (Phi) 2; Taibur Rahman (Ban) 1.5 lost to Saidali Iuldachev (Uzb) 2.5; Enamul Hossain (Ban) 2.5 bt Petr Kostenko (Kaz) 1.5; Odeev Handszar (Tkm) 2 drew with Salaua Izmukhambetov (Kaz) 2; Thien Hai Dao (Vei) 1 lost to Chito Garma (Phi) 2; Rolando Nolte (Phi) 1 lost to Orazly Annageldyev (Tkm) 2; Milan Turpanov (Kgz) 1 lost to Sergey Zagrebelny (Uzb) 2; S.S. Ganguly (Ind) 2 bt Elshan Moradiabadi (Iri) 1; S. Manfuzur Rahman (Ban) 2 bt Imad Hakki (Syr) 1; Amir Mallahi (Iri) 1 lost to Lanka Ravi (Ind) 2; Mahmood Lodhi (Pak) 2 bt T.D.R. Pieris (Sri) 1; B. Villamayor (Phi) 1 drew with Md. Al Sayed (Qat) 1; S. Chanda (Ind) 1 drew with A. Wohl (Aus) 1; N.K. Mishra (Ind) 1 drew with Anvar Nazarov (Tjk) 1; P. Konguvel (Ind) 1 drew with Arash Roghani (Iri) 1; Ronald Dableo (Phi) 0 lost to Mohsen Ghorbani (Iri) 1; Bye: Abu Sufian Sakil. Niaz Murshed (Ban) did not play due to illness.

Third round: Xu Jun (Chn) 3 bt Li Wenliang (Chn) 2; P.M. Thipsay (Ind) 2.5 drew with E.G. Maghami (Iri) 2.5; E. Vladimirov (Kaz) 2 drew with Mark Paragua (Phi) 2.5; Zhang Pengxiang (Chn) 1.5 lost to Peng Xiaomin (Chn) 2.5; Darmen Sadvakasov (Kaz) 1.5 lost to Tahir Vakhidov (Uzb) 2.5; Ziaur Rahman (Ban) 2 drew with A. Kunte (Ind) 2; Leonid Yurtaev (Kgz) 2.5 bt D.V. Prasad (Ind) 1.5; Ahn Dung Nguyen (Vei) 2 drew with Abdulla Al-Rakib (Ban) 2; Jamshed Isaev (Tjk) 1.5 lost to Shukhrat Safin (Uzb) 2.5; Reefat Bin Sattar (Ban) 2.5 bt Yu Shaoteng (Chn) 1.5; Barlo A. Nadera (Phi) 1.5 lost to Alexei Barsov (Uzb) 2.5; Petr Kostenko (Kaz) 1.5 lost to Morteza Mohjoob (Iri) 2.5; Mohamad Al-Modiahki (Qat) 2.5 bt Hossain Enamul (Ban) 1.5; Sergey Zagrebelny (Uzb) 1 lost to Pavel Kotsur (Kaz) 2; Wang Yue (Chn) 2 bt Thien Hai Dao (Vei) 1; Wu Wenjin (Chn) 2 bt S.S. Ganguly (Ind) 1; Liang Chong (Chn) 2 bt Mahmood Lodhi (Pak) 1; Imad Hakki (Syr) 1 lost to Eugene Torre (Phi) 2; Fernie Donguines (Phi) 1.5 drew with Rogelio Antonio Jr (Phi) 1.5; P. Harikrishna (Ind) 2 bt Amir Mallahi (Iri) 1; Liang Jingrong (Chn) 2 bt Chito Garma (Phi) 1; E. Moradiabadi (Iri) 2 bt D. Barua (Ind) 1; M. Dzhumaev (Uzb) 2 bt T.D.R. Pieris (Sri) 1; Sriram Jha (Ind) 2 bt O. Annageldyev (Tkm) 1; Odeev Handszar (Tkm) 1.5 drew with Liu Dede (Ina) 1.5; Utut Adianto (Ina) 1.5 bt Rolando Nolte (Phi) 1; Anvar Nazarov (Tjk) 0.5 lost to K. Sasikiran (Ind) 1.5; M. Kazhzaleyev (Kaz) 1.5 bt S. Chanda (Ind) 0.5; S. Izmukhambetov (Kaz) 1.5 bt B. Villamayor (Phi) 0.5; Aleksandar Wohl (Aus) 0.5 lost to Wang Zili (Chn) 1.5; Vladimir Magai (Kgz) 1.5 bt P. Konguvel (Ind) 0.5; Saidali Iuldachev (Uzb) 1.5 bt Mohamad N. Al Sayed (Qat) 0.5; Taibur Rahman (Ban) 1.5 w.o. N. Murshed (Ban) 0.5; Arash Roghani (Iri) 0.5 lost to Vladimir Egin (Uzb) 1.5; Hoang Thanh Trang (Vie) 1.5 bt N.K. Mishra (Ind) 0.5; Lanka Ravi (Ind) 1 bt Abu Sufian Sakil (Ban) 0; Mohsen Ghorbani (Iri) 0 lost to Milan Turpanov (Kgz) 1; S. Manfuzur Rahman (Ban) 1 bt Ronald Dableo (Phi) 0.

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