Madhavendra Pratap Sharma shares Rapid lead at Asian Junior Chess Championship
India's Madhavendra Pratap Sharma and Akhilbay Imangali of Kazakhstan emerged as early frontrunners as the rapid event of the Asian Junior Chess Championship reached the halfway stage here on Tuesday, August 18, organisers said.
The two lead a field of 82 players representing eight nations, with a perfect score of 4 points from four rounds. With three rounds remaining, both have positioned themselves as strong contenders for the Asian junior rapid title.
A group of four Indian players Sharnarthi Viresh, Apoorv Kamble, Arun Kataria and Aditya Dhingra trail the leaders by just half a point with scores of 3.5/4, keeping the title race wide open. A further group of 12 players is jointly placed next with 3 points each.
The girls' rapid championship has presented a contrasting picture, with an extremely close contest seeing six players share the lead on 3.5 points from four rounds. The joint leaders are Rejepova Jahan of Turkmenistan, Nivedita V.C., Sravyashree B., Pratitee Bordoloi, Begmuratova Sarvinoz of Uzbekistan and Akshaya Sathi all of whom remain unbeaten after four rounds, setting up a potentially thrilling finish.
A group of seven players follows closely with 3 points, keeping the race for medals wide open. With three rounds still to be played, organisers said every half-point is likely to prove crucial in deciding the eventual champions and podium finishers.
The championship is being organised by the Maharashtra Chess Association on behalf of the All India Chess Federation and the Asian Chess Federation.
(Inputs from PTI)
