World rapid chess championship: Anand in second position

With three rounds remaining, Anand was one of the four players on 8.5 points, half-a-point behind the leader Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

Viswanathan Anand was in the joint second position after the 12th round of the World rapid chess championship in Riyadh.

Viswanathan Anand was in the joint second position after the 12th round of the World rapid chess championship in Riyadh on Thursday. With three rounds remaining, he was one of the four players on 8.5 points, half-a-point behind the leader Magnus Carlsen of Norway.

Pendyala Harikrishna was the best-placed among the other Indians, with 7.5 points. B. Adhiban was on seven points, Vidit Gujrathi and Surya Sekhar Ganguly on six and S.P Sethuraman on five.

In the women’s event, Dronavalli Harika was in the second position with 8.5 points. China’s Ju Wenjun, who was held to a draw by Harika, was in the sole lead position with 9.5 points. Padmini Rout had 7.5 points, while S. Vijayalakshmi and Eesha Karvade had seven apiece.

The standings (after 12 rounds): Men: 1. Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 9; 2-5. Vladimir Fedoseev (Rus), Viswanthan Anand (Ind), Peter Svidler (Rus) and Wang Hao (Chn) 8.5; 6-16. Bu Xiangzhi (Chn), Ian Nepomniachtchi (Rus), Alexander Grischuk (Rus), Shakhriyar Mamedyarov (Aze), Yu Yangyi (Chn), Aleksandr Rakhmanov (Rus), Vladimir Onischuk (Ukr), Ding Liren (Chn), Vladislav Atremiev (Rus), Eltaj Safarli (Aze) and Rauf Mamedov (Aze) 8. Women: 1. Ju Wenjun (Chn) 9.5; 2-7. Lei Tingjie (Chn), Aleksandra Goryachkina (Rus), Dronavalli Harika (Ind), Alexandra Kosteniuk (Rus), Elina Danielian (Arm) and Ekaterina Atalik (Tur) 8.5; 8-11. Bela Khotenashvili (Geo), Elilsabeth Paehtz (Ger), Polina Shuvalova (Rus) and Huang Qiang (Chn) 8.