Sharjah: Grandmasters B. Adhiban of India, Ehsan Ghaem Maghami of Iran and Yu Yangi of China remained tied for the lead in the open competiton after four rounds of the Asian Continental Chess Championships being held at the Sharjah Chess Club.
Women’s Grand Master Irene Sukandar of Indonesia and Women’s International Master Ni Shiqun of China are tied for the lead in the women’s division.
Adhiban used the King’s Indian defence to hold former Asian champion Rustam Kasimdzhanov of Uzbekistan to a draw in 25 moves, while Maghami adopted the Nimzo Indian defence to force a draw with co-leader Yu Yangyi in 42 moves. All three players have 3.5 points.
Kasimdzhanov is in the chasing pack with 3 points along with 12 other players who include local Grand Master Salem Abdul Rahman Saleh, the Chinese quartet of Chu Wei Chao, Wen Yang, Bu Xiangzhi and Wei Yi, the Indian trio of G.N. Gopal, Vishnu Prasanna and S.P. Sethuraman, besides Mohammad Al Syed of Qatar, Zia Ur Rahman of Bangladesh and Nguyen Ngoc Truong Son of Vietnam. The top-five players will qualify for the World Cup.
In the women’s division, two former Asian women’s champions faced off and Irene Sukandar of Indonesia beat Atousa Pourkashiyan of Iran in 61 moves of a Giuoco Piano game. Women’s International Master Ni Shiqun of China crushed the Sicilian defence of 13-year-old Zhansaya Abdu Malek of Kazakhstan in 43 moves.
Ni Shiqun and Sukandar are tied on 3.5 points, while four players share three points each, namely Women’s Grand Masters Nguyen Thi Thanh An and Hoang Thi Bao Tram of Vietnam, Sarasadat Khademalsharieh of Iran and Gong Qianyun of Singapore.
