Winning starts with what you know
The new version 18 offers completely new possibilities for chess training and analysis: playing style analysis, search for strategic themes, access to 6 billion Lichess games, player preparation by matching Lichess games, download Chess.com games with built-in API, built-in cloud engine and much more.
Pune, India • Sep. 2-12, 2004 • Standings after round 8 • View and download games
By Vijay Kumar / Vishal Sareen
The lead positions have changed a bit but not dramatically. But certainly the equations at the half-way stage in the Category 16 at Pune have taken a beating.
P Harikrishna provided the proverbial twist in the tale of the biggest closed event in India by beating Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu in the sixth round game. Obviously it is not so easy to come back firing on all cylinders after that. The result? Kasimdzhanov after a none-too-eventful draw with the erstwhile sole leader is now sharing the lead with Nisipeanu on 4.5 points after 7 rounds.
Beliavsky and Harikrishna at the post-mortem of their draw
With just two rounds remaining it could be anyone's title as Harikrishna and Sandipan Chanda, the big draw for the Indian buffs, follow both the leaders with 4 points each in their kitty.
Another half a point adrift are Sutovsky, Beliavsky and Azmaiparashvili who all have 3.5 while Ganguly moved to 3 points following a fine victory over Sasikiran in round 7.
India's upcoming star GM Sandipan Chanda held Kasimdzhanov to a draw
Things apparently have not shaped well for Sasikiran who lost a complete winning position against Beliavsky in Round 6 and was outdone yet again.
Ganguly proved that on a given day he could match almost anyone. The Indian National Champion gets tips from none other than Viswanathan Anand these days and certainly he has picked up after a rather subdued start owing to some bad hits and a few misses.
Clash of leaders Nisipeanu and Kasimdzhanov resulted in a draw
Strangely, Ganguly-Sasi was the only decisive game of round 7 while the peace was restored in the remaining. Could it be the lull before the final storm?
[Late news: In the eighth round Nisipeanu beat Sutovsky with black to regain the sole lead. Kunte beat Chanda to get out of the cellar.]
Indian Number Two GM Krishnan Sasikiran lost to Slovenian GM Alexander Beliavsky
Israeli GM Emil Sutovsky explaining few tricks of his game to Indian Grandmasters
