Abu Dhabi Masters: Arjun sole leader; Raunak holds Tomashevsky

Nihal Sarin, Aryan Chopra, S. P. Sethuraman, M. Karthikeyan and Harsha Bharathakoti were among the 11 Indians in this second score-group

File Photo: Erigaisi Arjun,,Indian, player at 44th Chess Olympiad  | Photo Credit: Velankanni Raj B/ The Hindu

Rarely, a field of 148-players finds a sole leader in three rounds. Arjun Erigaisi achieved this rare distinction with a third straight victory in the Abu Dhabi Masters chess after facing Croatia’s Aleksandar Indijic in Abu Dhabi late on Thursday.

Among the 26 players sharing the second spot at 2.5 points was young Raunak Sadhwani who held second seeded Russian Evegeny Tomashevsky.

Nihal Sarin, Aryan Chopra, S. P. Sethuraman, M. Karthikeyan and Harsha Bharathakoti were among the 11 Indians in this second score-group

Leading results (Indians unless stated):

Third round: Evegeny Tomashevsky (CRF, 2.5) drew with Ranuak Sadhwani (2.5); Arjun Erigaisi (3) bt Aleksandar Indjic (Cro, 2); M. Karthikeyan (2.5) drew with David Anton (Esp, 2.5); Harsha Bharathakoti (2.5) drew with Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu (Ger, 2.5); Aryan Chopra (2.5) drew with P. Iniyan (2.5); Sammed Shete (2.5) drew with S. P. Sethuraman (2.5); Mohammad Nubairshah Shaikh (1.5) lost to Amin Baseem (Egy, 2.5); Nihal Sarin (2.5) bt Evgeny Zanan (Isr, 1.5); Abhijeet Gupta (1.5) lost to Aditya Samant (2.5); Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (Arm, 1.5) drew with Kushagra Mohan (2); B. Adhiban (2.5) bt Seyed Kian Poormosavi (Iri, 1.5).