Top seeds register easy wins as 12 players share lead in junior event

Mumbai, Jun 19 (PTI) Grandmasters Levan Pantsulaia, Manuel Petrosyan and Luka Paichadze, the top three seeds, all registered victories over their respective opponents, as 12 players share the lead in the Aurionpro International Junior Chess Tournament here on Thursday.

The day witnessed a minor stir as unheralded Guru Prakash held Indian GM Deepan Chakravarthy to a creditable draw on board 10 in round 3.

Meanwhile, foreign players continued to assert their dominance in the GM category with yet another commanding display.

In the junior event, on the top board, top-seed FIDE Master Aansh Nerurkar was made to work hard by Mysha Parwez. Playing with the black pieces, Aansh navigated a challenging Catalan Opening to eventually outplay his opponent and secure full points.

The second board witnessed a dominant performance from second seed Candidate Master Madhesh Kumar, who dismantled Advik Reddy in just 47 moves.

Playing from the white side of the French Defence, Madhesh demonstrated sharp tactical awareness to force an early result.

On board three, national U-11 champion Madhavendra Sharma showcased his class and control. Facing Shitiz Prasad, Madhavendra steered the game confidently from the white side of the French Defence to notch an impressive victory.

The battle for supremacy is heating up with six rounds still to play. PTI SSC SSC PDS PDS