Mumbai, June 23 (IANS) The Mumbai International Grandmaster Chess Tournament witnessed a shift in momentum in the seventh round as veteran GM Aleksej Aleksandrov of Belarus surged to the top of the leaderboard with an emphatic victory at the World Trade Centre, here. In the junior section, Candidate Master Madhesh Kumar from Puducherry emerged as the sole leader by defeating Ramanu Mishra to move to 6.5 out of 7.
His consistent performance makes him the top contender for the title, especially as tournament favourite and top seed FM Aansh Nerurkar was held to a draw by Shaunak Badole on board.
In the Grandmaster Section, the top-board clash between Armenian compatriots GM Manuel Petrosyan and IM Arsen Davtyan ended in a quick 16-move draw, with both players opting for a cautious, safety-first approach.
A similar outcome was seen on board 2, where GM Mamikon Gharibyan and Indian GM Lalit Babu settled for a 36-move draw in the Ruy Lopez.
However, it was on board 3 that the day truly sparked to life. GM Aleksej Aleksandrov displayed his vast experience and sharp tactical acumen to defeat GM Sanikidze Tornike of Georgia in a complex and wild battle stemming from the Queen’s Pawn Opening.
With this crucial win, Aleksandrov now leads the pack with 6.5 points out of a possible 7, positioning himself as the clear favourite with just two rounds to go.
A formidable group of seven players is closely trailing the leader with six points each. This group includes GM Mamikon Gharibyan, GM Manuel Petrosyan, GM Nguyen Van Huy, GM Lalit Babu, GM Sergey Fedorov, Indian GM Neelotpal Das, and IM Arsen Davtyan. The seventh round has set the stage for an intense finish in this tournament, which has a total prize fund of Rs 25 lakh.
Earlier on Sunday, overnight leaders, GM Lalit Babu (India) and IM Arsen Davtyan (Armenia) could gain no supremacy over the other and ended their match in a balanced draw, leaving the door open for others to climb into the lead after Round 6 of the Rs 40 lakh prize money Mumbai International Grandmaster and Junior Chess Tournament. After six rounds, five players are tied at 5.5/6, setting up a thrilling race to the finish.
In one of the biggest upsets of the tournament, IM Nayaka Buddhidharma (Indonesia) held top seed GM Levan Pantsulaia (Georgia) to a well-earned draw.
In other matches, GM Manuel Petrosyan (Armenia) took full advantage, winning a fine game with the White pieces against Alexander Slizhevsky (Russia), while GM Aleksej Aleksandrov (Belarus) also made a statement by defeating GM Luka Paichadze (Georgia) in convincing fashion.
–IANS
bsk/
