Al Ain (UAE), May 10 – Indian Grandmasters Murali Karthikeyan and P Iniyan, along with Iran’s Bardiya Daneshvar, emerged as joint leaders with 3.5 points each after four intense rounds of the Asian Continental Chess Championship.
Indian Contenders Impress on Day 4
Murali Karthikeyan delivered a dominant performance against Iranian player Sina Movahed, while P Iniyan secured a solid win over China’s Meng Yihan. Both players joined Bardiya Daneshvar at the top of the leaderboard after Daneshvar held Shamsiddin Vokhidov of Uzbekistan to a draw.Rising Indian talent Pranav Anand also impressed by holding top-seeded Nihal Sarin to a draw, leaving Sarin with three points. Other notable results included wins for Leon Luke Mendonca and Abhimanyu Puranik, while Surya Shekhar Ganguly shared points with Russia’s Ivan Rozum.
Key Indian Results – Round 4 (Men’s Section)
- Murali Karthikeyan beat Sina Movahed (Iran)
- P Iniyan beat Meng Yihan (China)
- Pranav Anand drew with Nihal Sarin
- Leon Luke Mendonca beat Sugar Gan-Erdene (Philippines)
- Abhimanyu Puranik beat Siddharth Jagadeesh
- G B Harshavardhan beat Mikhail Demidov (FIDE)
- Surya Shekhar Ganguly drew with Ivan Rozum (FIDE)
Women’s Section: Mongolia and Uzbekistan Lead
In the women’s category, Mungunzul Bat-Erdene of Mongolia and Afruza Khamdanova of Uzbekistan claimed the top spots with perfect 4-point scores. Among Indian contenders, Srija Seshadri stood out, remaining unbeaten with 3.5 points after a draw against Olga Girya (FIDE).Other Indian women registering victories included P V Nandhidhaa, Rakshitta Ravi, Arshiya Das, and B Savitha Shri, reinforcing India's strong presence in the tournament.
Key Indian Results – Round 4 (Women’s Section)
- Srija Seshadri drew with Olga Girya (FIDE)
- P V Nandhidhaa beat Melika Mohammadi
- Rakshitta Ravi beat Nisha Mohota
- Arshiya Das beat Munkhzul Turmunkh (Mongolia)
- B Savitha Shri beat Galina Mikheeva (FIDE)