Arnav Koli and Ram Parab scored fluid victories to emerge joint leaders with five points at the end of round 5 in the 360 One Wealth Grand Prix Chess Series.
In a highly anticipated clash on the top board, Arnav Koli put an end to the giant-killing spree of Darsh Shetty with a commanding victory in 42 moves, employing the Nimzo-Indian opening. Darsh struggled to maintain his momentum of yesterday, committing uncharacteristic errors that cost him material in the early middle game. Arnav Koli, seizing the opportunity, displayed impeccable technique to capitalize on Darsh's mistakes and secure a decisive win.
In the battle on board 2, Guru Prakash, seeded 5th, initially secured an advantage against Ram Parab by playing the white side of the Ruy Lopez opening. However, his eagerness to win material backfired, providing Ram with an opportunity to claw his way back into the game. Subsequently, a critical error on Guru's part allowed Ram to establish a winning position, ultimately leading to his triumphant conversion of the advantage into a victory.
With clinical precision, Atharv Soni and Arvind Iyer secured victories against their respective opponents, bringing them within half a point of the current leaders in the tournament. Twelve players, including the top-seeded Paras Bhoir, are collectively holding the third position in a tightly contested group.
As the tournament approaches its culmination with two rounds left, the battle for the championship is poised to intensify in this rating event with a prize pool of Rs. 2.50 Lakhs. Organized by the Indian Chess School under the auspices of FIDE and the All India Chess Federation, the competition promises a thrilling conclusion.
Result (Rd-5): Arnav Koli (5) bt Darsh Shetty (4), Guru Prakash (4) lost to Ram Parab (5), Vageesh S (3.5) lost to Iyer Arvind (4.5), Soni Atharv (4.5) bt Jagesia Daksh (3.5), Bhoir Paras (4) bt Swasti Jha (3.5), Kshaunish Jaiswal (3) lost to Tvesha Jain (4), Medhansh Poojary (3) lost to Mayuresh Desai (4), Soham Nagrecha (3.5) drew Elesh Tripathi (3.5), Maniar Hriday (4) bt Nova Juyal (3), Shah Purvaan (4) bt Om Murdeshwar (3), Sarvesh Sawant (3) lost to Ruchit Acharya (4), Sejpal Kavyan (3) lost to Pasbola Samvid (4), Aditya Kadam (3) lost to Gogri Vedaant (4), Agraval Shravana (4) bt Sachi Kulkarni (3), Anirudh Subramanian (3.5) drew Mohammed Qureshi (3.5), Naksh Malik (4) beat Jewin Palayur (3)
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