Harikrishna outwits Sasikiran; Xu Jun still on top

By S. Sabanayakan

KOLKATA, AUG. 12. Top-seeded Chinese GM Xu Jun continued to lead the field with 4.5 points at the end of the fifth round of the third Asian Individual chess championship at the Gorky Sadan here on Sunday. The day was also marked by three major upsets with India's International Master Pentyala Harikrishna causing one.

Jun, the favourite to win the title here, was held to a 20-move draw by Iranian IM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami in an English Opening. The Iranian's draw offer was accepted.

Chinese IM Li Wenliang upset third seed and the highly-rated GM from Kazakhstan, Evgeny Vladimirov while FIDE Master Wang Yue of China shocked ninth seed Kazakh Darmen Sadvakasov. The final surprise came when Harikrishna beat the sixth-seeded Indian GM, Krishnan Sasikiran, in a Kings Indian Classical in 64 moves. Sasikiran was an exchange down with two pawns as compensation and made several mistakes. He was mated when he tried to stop queening of his opponent's pawn.

On the second board, overnight joint second-placed GM Mohamad Al- Modiakhi of Qatar lost to Uzbekistan GM Alexei Barsov in a French Winawar variation. Barsov sacrificed a pawn and got an excellent pawn centre and a centralised queen. The Uzbek GM mobilised his pieces very effectively to demolish the white king's side and won the opponent's queen by a knight fork in 28 moves.

Indian IM D.V. Prasad won a spectacular game against Turkmenistan IM Orazly Annageldyev in a Sicilian Scheveningen variation. The IM sacrificed a piece for two pawns and had three connected passed pawns on the queen's side. Prasad got an attack on the king side and forced a mating net in 34 moves.

The other three Indian GMs were involved in draws. Thipsay signed the peace treaty against GM Peng Xiaomin of China in a Ruy Lopez Opening Malanyuk variation in 75 moves. GM Dibyendu Barua, playing GM Utut Adianto of Indonesia, was a pawn down but had enough compensation for the same and drew in opposite colour bishop ending in 32 moves in a Queen's Pawn game. And GM Abhijit Kunte drew with Filipino IM Chito Garma.

Bangladesh IM Abdulla Al-Rakib, playing black in a Caro-Kann, missed several winning chances against Krygyzstan GM Yurtaev Leonid and ultimately drew the game in a bishop and pawn versus knight and three pawns end game in 123 moves, the longest game of the championship.

IM P. Konguvel of India beat TRD Pieris of Sri Lanka while double GM-norm holder Sandipan Chanda's disappointing run continued as he lost to Mohamad Al Sayed of Qatar. IM Surya Sekhar Ganguly, however, won against Kazakhstan IM S. Izmukhambetov. The other Indians, IM Lanka Ravi and IM Sriram Jha, drew their games while IM N.K. Mishra lost. Occupying the joint second place with four points were three players - IM Ehsan Ghaem Maghami and Morteza Mohjoob of Iran and Uzbek GM Alexei Barsov. There were 12 bunched together at the joint third position with 3.5 points, including Thipsay and Harikrishna.

Two rounds will be played on Monday with the sixth round beginning at 9 a.m. and the seventh at 4 p.m.

The results: Xu Jun (Chn) 4.5 drew with Ehsan Ghaem Maghami (Iri) 4; Mohamad Al-Modiahki (Qat) 3.5 lost to Alexei Barsov (Uzb) 4; Yurtaev Leonid (Kgz) 3.5 drew with Abdulla Al- Rakib (Ban) 3.5; Marat Dzhumaev (Uzb) 3.5 drew with Tahir Vakhidov (Uzb) 3.5; Zhang Pengxiang (Chn) 3 lost to Morteza Mahjoob (Iri) 4; P.M. Thipsay (Ind) 3.5 drew with Pang Xiaomin (Chn) 3; Evgeny Vladimirov (Kaz) 2.5 lost to Li Wenliang (Chn) 3.5; Utut Adianto (Ina) 3 drew with D. Barua (Ind) 3; P. Harikrishna (Ind) 3.5 bt K. Sasikiran (Ind) 2.5; Darmen Sadvakasov (Kaz) 2.5 lost to Wang Yue (Chn) 3.5; Wu Wenjin (Chn) 3 drew with Vladimir Egin (Uzb) 3; Liang Jingrong (Chn) 3 drew with Wang Zili (Chn) 3; Saidali Iuldachev (Uzb) 3.5 bt Eugene Torre (Phi) 2.5; Ziaur Rahman (Ban) 3.5 bt Rogelio Antonio Jr (Phi) 2.5; Anh Dung Nguyen (Vei) 3.5 bt Mark Paragua (Phi) 2.5; Reefat Bin Sattar (Ban) 3 drew with Shukhrat Safin (Uzb) 3; Liang Chong (Chn) 3 bt Enamul Hossain (Ban) 2.5; Fernie Donguines (Phi) 3 bt Pavel Kostur (Kaz) 2; Chito Garma (Phi) 2.5 drew with A. Kunte (Ind) 2.5; Vladimir Magai (Kgz) 3 bt Mahmood Lodhi (Pak) 2; Sriram Jha (Ind) 2.5 drew with Yu Shaoteng (Chn) 2.5; Orazly Annagelldyev (Tkm) 2 lost to D.V. Prasad (Ind) 3; Lanka Ravi (Ind) 2.5 drew with Odeev Handszar (Tkm) 2.5; Sergey Zagrebelny (Uzb) 3 bt Manfuzur Rahman (Ban) 2; S. Izmukhambetov (Kaz) 2 lost to S.S. Ganguly (Ind) 3; M. Kazhzaleyev (Kaz) 1.5 lost to Liu Dede (Ina) 2.5; Petr Kostenko (Kaz) 1.5 lost to Taibur Rahman (Ban) 2.5; Hoang Thanh Trang (Vei) 1.5 lost to Jamshed Isaev (Tjk) 2.5; Barlo A. Nadera (Phi) 1.5 lost to Thien Hai Dao (Vei) 2; Mohsen Ghorbani (Iri) 1.5 drew with B. Villamayor (Phi) 1.5; Imad Hakki (Syr) 1 lost to Rolando Nolte (Phi) 2; Md. Al Sayed (Qat) 2 bt S. Chanda (Ind) 1; Arash Roghani (Iri) 1 lost to Amir Mallahi (Iri) 2; Abu Sufian Sakil (Ban) 1.5 drew with Anvar Nazarov (Tjk) 1.5; Elshan Moradiabadi (Iri) 2 bt N.K. Mishra (Ind) 1; TDR Pieris (Sri) 1 lost to P. Konguvel (Ind) 2; A. Wohl (Aus) 1.5 drew with Milan Turpanov (Kgz) 1.5. Bye: Ronald Dableo (Phi); loss by default: N. Murshed (Ban).

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