Abhijeet Gupta

14. Abhijeet Gupta: Seeded 21; Rating 2380; Performance of 2396 against opponents with an average rating of 2221. A gain of three rating points.

THIS hardworking Bhilwara-boy from ONGC made it by winning the last three rounds. He is also the only qualifier to prove that it is possible to qualify even after losing three games. Fiercely competitive, this former National junior champion won nine games and drew just one, against Tanmoy Patnaik in the sixth round. More of a positional player, Abhijeet showed a lot of heart during his campaign.