Harika bounces back at Reykjavik Open

Harika is currently positioned at the 28th position on the table but more interestingly just half a point behind the current leader GM Can Emre of Turkey.

Harika defeated Vignir Vatnar Stefansson in round 6 of Reykjavik Open.

India’s Grand Master Harika Dronavalli recovered strongly from her loss in the previous round to score an emphatic victory over Vignir Vatnar Stefansson in the highly-competitive Reykjavik Open.

The 26-year-old from Guntur, playing white, was back to her best in Round 6 as she played French defence and exploited the inexperienced opponent by slowly increasing pressure on him till he resigned.

She meticulously closed the game in just 38 moves.

Playing with French defence, Harika dominated her opponent through the game.

“I opted for early queen exchanges and due to inexperience my opponent made mistakes in his piece placements and I immediately exploited it by slowly increasing pressure and advantage until he resigned,” said Harika.

With four more rounds to go, Harika is currently positioned at the 28th position on the table but more interestingly just half a point behind the current leader GM Can Emre of Turkey, with four wins, one draw and one loss.

In the 10-round Swiss tournament, Harika will next take on Mongolian IM Tuvshintugs Batchimeg, who has four and a half points.