Alexey Sarana wins grueling Russian Higher League

7/6/2018 – An impeccable start and a cruise-control finish was enough for young Alexey Sarana to win the Russian Higher League. Grigoriy Oparin obtained back-to-back wins in rounds six and seven to tie in points with Sarana, but had to settle for second on tiebreaks. The women's section did have a clear winner in Oksana Gritsayeva, who finished on 7/9. The real bounty, however, was a spot in the Russian Superfinals, a reward received by five players in each section. | Photo: Dmitry Kryakvin / Russian Chess Federation