Barua provides the silver lining

Kasimdhzanov drew his last round game in farcical six moves with S Ghane of Iran and earn remarkable nine points from 11 rounds.

The 18-year-old Kasimdhzanov, is the second best Uzbek player after the highly rated Nenashev. His excellent win here makes him the man to watch out for in the near future as Kasimdhzanov remained unbeaten throughout the tournament.

The Uzbek managed wins almost at will, winning seven and drawing four of his games in the 21-player, 11-round Swiss tournament.

Thipsay appeared for his final game despite being unwell and held Dao for a draw. The Vietnamese tied for the second place with Barua, both on eight points, but a better tie-break score for the Indian assured him silver medal.

GM Thipsay, who tied for the fourth to seventh place, played a good tie-break and finished fifth.

Saravanan, who began well holding some of the strong GMs, faded somewhat in the second half of the tournament but still tied for the 8th to 12th place, and a better tie-break score saw him finish eighth with six points.