Harikrishna plays it safe

There was no change in the overnight standings as women’s world champion Antoaneta Stefanova earned a creditable draw with top seed and local star Ivan Sokolov for the second time in the tournament.

Both Sokolov and Sutovsky have two points each with just two rounds remaining in this category-16 double round robin tournament.

Harikrishna’s game against Sutovsky was a bloody fight right from the begining. The Indian, having the cushion of a full point and white pieces, was in for a surprise when just before the start of the game Sutovsky asked him to check the wavering of his hands.

‘‘It is irritating,’’ said Sutovsky to Harikrishna who looked palpably perturbed by such audacity just before the game.

‘‘This is not done. We had a rest day, we had dinner together yesterday, he had so many chances to tell me that but to choose that moment? Very surprising,’’ Harikrishna said after the game.

‘‘Okay this happens to me sometimes during a crucial moment, sometimes I am not sure whether to go for the move and that results in my hand coming over to the board a couple of times. I am trying to control it and for sure I never do it purposely,” said Harikrishna.

Disturbed as he was, he did not let it show beyond the first few moves. Regaining his composure in quick time, Harikrishna got an advanatageous position amidst wild complexities arising out of a queen-pawn game.

Sutovsky won Harikrishna’s queen but had to part with three pieces in the process.

‘‘I think I should have played better in the middle game but somehow I could not find the best plan,” Harikrishna said.

As it happened, Sutovsky was able to neutralise huge material deficit with his active queen and minor pieces. The Israeli eventually found perpetual checks to split the point in 32 moves.

Sokolov was surprised for the second time by Stefanova who is on just one point, thanks to her double-draws against the Dutchman.