Indian Grandmaster P. Harikrishna faces a tough battle against tournament leader Radoslaw Wojtaszek when the two meet in the fifth round of the classical event of the 53rd Biel Chess Festival in Switzerland on Monday.
Harikrishna had a tough time in the Blitz format on Saturday as he could only score six points from 14 games and finished fifth.
As a result, the world No. 26 slipped to third place in the overall standings. Also, the gap between him and the tournament leader Wojtaszek increased to seven points.
Harikrishna, who is on 24.5 points, will need to win the game to keep his championship hopes alive, given that there are only two more matches to play subsequently.
The India No. 3 would need to raise his game against the in-form Wojtaszek who had a great run in the Blitz event, remaining unbeaten and beating Harikrishna in both games.
The Polish grandmaster scored 11 points from 14 games along with England veteran Michael Adams.
Harikrishna will subsequently play against Romain Edouard of France and Spain’s David Anton Guijjaro in the sixth and seventh rounds respectively.
Harikrishna had earlier finished second in the rapid section of the tournament and had won the Chess960 event at the start of the Festival.
The Biel Chess Festival, the first major event to be played over the board, is being held by adhering to all health protocols due to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the tournament website.
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