Indian chess talents Pratitee Bordoloi and Mayank Chakraborty are on the verge of winning the Asian Junior Classical Chess Championship titles after securing crucial victories in the penultimate round, setting up an exciting final day.
Top seeds Pratitee Bordoloi and Mayank Chakraborty moved a step closer to the Asian Junior Classical Chess Championship crowns with wins in the eighth and penultimate round here on Tuesday.
Pratitee scored a crucial victory over FM (FIDE Master) Prishita Gupta to take her tally to an impressive 7/8 and extend her lead to a full point. Her nearest rival, WCM (Woman Candidate Master) Shohradova Leyla of Turkmenistan, was held to a draw by WCM Dakshita Kumawat and moved to 6 points.
WFM (Woman FIDE Master) Mariya Kholyavko of Kazakhstan and WCM Sravyasree Bheemarasetty registered important victories to also reach 6 points.
In the Open Championship, Mayank Chakraborty strengthened his grip on the title by defeating Daksh Goyal to move to 7/8. His nearest challenger, IM (International Master) Artem Pingin of Russia, scored an important victory over IM Vignesh Advaith Vemula to reach 6.5 points.
FM Sharnarthi Viresh was held to a draw by IM Apoorv Kamble and moved to 6 points, while FM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma defeated CM (Candidate Master) Ahmet Gubatayev of Turkmenistan to also reach 6 points.
With one round remaining, Mayank holds a half-point advantage over Pingin, setting up an exciting finish to the Open Championship. Pratitee, meanwhile, holds a one-point cushion over her nearest challengers as both title races head into the decisive final round.