Ram Parab, seeded fourth, won his sixth consecutive encounter to occupy sole lead after the penultimate round of the 360 One Wealth Grand Prix Chess Series, which is being played at Russian Centre for Science and Culture.
In the encounter between the overnight leaders, Ram, playing with White, opted for a seldom-played variation in response to Arnav's move in the Sicilian Defense.
Despite Arnav swiftly equalizing the position, a defensive oversight on his part in move 19 allowed Ram to gain a material advantage. In an attempt to recover, Arnav sacrificed his Queen for a rook and a knight, but it proved insufficient as Ram efficiently converted the advantage into a victory.
On the second board, Arvind Iyer, seeded second, found himself unable to penetrate Guru Prakash's defense, leading to a drawn match. Similarly, Atharv Soni also had to settle for a draw in his game against Darsh Shetty.
Regaining momentum, Paras Bhoir, the top seed, is once again in the running for top honors after triumphing over Tvesha Jain. He now spearheads a group of seven players, all sharing the second spot with a collective score of 5/6. This group comprises Arnav Koli, Atharv Soni, Arvind Iyer, Samvid Pasbola, Mayuresh Desai, and Naksh Malik.
Samvid Pasbola claimed the accolade for the best game of round 6 with his victory over Hriday Maniar.
Key Results of Round 6:
Ram Parab (6) beat Arnav Koli (5)
Iyer Arvind (5) drew Guru Prakash (4½)
Darsh Shetty (4½) drew Soni Atharv (5)
Tvesha Jain (4) lost to Bhoir Dilip (5)
Mayuresh Desai (5) beat Agraval Shravana (4)
Pasbola Samvid (5) beat Maniar Hriday (4)
Gogri Vedaant (4½) drew Shah Purvaan (4½)
Ruchit Acharya (4) lost to Naksh Malik (5)
Jagesia Daksh (4½) beat Sara Mody (3½)
Soham Nagrecha (3½) lost to Vageesh Swaminathan (4½)
Elesh Tripathi (3½) lost to Hridaan Shah (4½)
Swasti Jha (3½) lost to Ahaan Kataruka (4½)
Mohammed Qureshi (3½) lost to Uplenchwar Anay (4½)
Patodekar Samarth (4½) beat Aaren Malhotra (3½)
