Barua shares third spot

Kunte of PSCB employed Fianchetto Variation against Saravanan’s Sicilian Pelican and let black equalise easily in the middlegame. Kunte sacrificed an exchange to complicate matters but Saravanan sensed the danger and returned the favour to enter a theoritically drawn rook and pawn endgame.

However, it was Barua who hogged the limelight as he moved upto third spot with a facile victory over seven-time winner Thipsay. Barua was sharing the third spot with TS Ravi, who had a rest day on Tuesday, at 4.5 points.

In a game between two seasoned GMs, Barua faced the Classical Sicilian with white pieces and opted for a quite set up which he had successfully used against Fide World champion Alexander Khalifmann at Las Vegas last year.

Thipsay appeared well armed and the players raced through the opening moves in a few minutes. Barua came up with a new idea in the middlegame and doubled his rooks on the king file to gain a slight advantage.

Thipsay erred by entering an endgame where his bishop was placed poorly compared to Barua’s knight. With precise play Barua won a pawn on queenside and romped home after 41 moves.

In other decisive games of the round, IM K Murugan (2.5) downed candidate IM Vishal Sareen (3.5) while National B Champion Surya Sekhar Ganguly (2) defeated S Kidambi (3.5).

Murugan (TN) handed Sareen (LIC) his first defeat in the tournament in a Sicilian Scheveningen game with black pieces. Murugan took advantage as Sareen played without plan and gained a firm grip in the centre.

Sareen erred again in middlegame by trading his dark square Bishop after which his position became precarious. Murugan thwarted further counterplay attempts and won easily in the ensuing rook endgame.

Ganguly outplayed former junior National champion Kidambi in Advance Variation of Caro-Kann defence. Ganguly gained a slight advantage after the opening and exerted pressure on the Queenside. The position worsened for Kidambi as his GNCA rival played all thematic moves. In the end Kidambi lost a piece and resigned immediately.

IM Lanka Ravi of PSCB played a draw against IM GB Prakash of BSB in a Gueen’s Gambit Declined game with black pieces. Prakash did not gain any advantage out of the opening and the game was drawn in an equal middlegame.