Asian Indoor Games: Sasikiran claims bronze

Sasikiran topped a four-way tie for the third place with five points, half a point behind the champion Vietnamese Le Quang Liem and silver-medallist Chinese Lu Shanglei.

Grandmaster K. Sasikiran is all smiles as he displays the bronze medal and a trophy received in the classical format of the chess competition in the Asian Indoor Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, on Sunday.

Third seed K. Sasikiran justified his rating and claimed the bronze medal in the classical format of chess competition in the Asian Indoor Games  in Ashgabat on Sunday.

Sasikiran topped a four-way tie for the third place with five points, half a point behind the champion Vietnamese Le Quang Liem and silver-medallist Chinese Lu Shanglei.

The top-four boards ended in draws and that helped Sasikiran maintain his overnight joint third place. Teammate Surya Shekhar Ganguly finished ninth with 4.5 points.

In the ladies section, where the Chinese duo of World champion Tan Zhongyi and top seed Lei Tingjei won gold and silver, S. Vijayalakshmi finished seventh after winning the final round. Tania Sachdev lost her game and ended up 11th.

Action now shifts to the shorter time-formats in rapid and blitz versions.

Seventh round results (involving Indians):

Men: Lu Shanglei (Chn, 5.5) drew with Surya Shekhar Ganguly (4.5); Meilis Annaberdiev (Tkm, 4.5) drew with K. Sasikiran (5).

Women: S. Vijayalakshmi (5) bt Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Iri, 4); Hoang Thi Bao Tram (Vie, 5) bt Tania Sachdev (4).

Final placings (men) : 1. Le Quang Liem (Vie, 5.5), 2. Lu Shanglei (Chn, 5.5), 3. K. Sasikiran (5); 9. Surya Shekhar Ganguly (4.5); (women): 1. Tan Zhongyi (Chn, 6), 2. Lei Tingjei (Chn, 5.5), 3. Dinara
Saduakassova (Kaz, 5); 7. S. Vijayalakshmi (5); 11. Tania Sachdev (4).