Sandipan beat Konguvel in 60 moves

Visakhapatnam: Grandmasters Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Sandipan Chanda continued to share the lead with 5.5 points each after the seventh round of the 42nd national A chess championship underway here.

It turned out to be another good day for the Calcutta boys as Ganguly put it across IM Sriram Jha of LIC and Chanda proved too tough for teammate IM P. Konguvel.

Incidentally, Ganguly (PSPB) had won the last edition of the championship on a better tie-break score than Chanda, who finished second.

The two leaders are now followed by IMs S. Kidambi and Neelotpal Das, also of PSPB with 12 rounds still remaining in this 19-player event. Ganguly displayed top form in cruising past Jha who was outdone in a Benko Gambit game. Playing white, Jha spurned the opening gambit by Ganguly but soon the latter was on top with some imaginative manoeuvres that left Jha?s queen side in a shambles. Picking up a pawn, Ganguly transposed to a won endgame and pocketed the full point after 60 moves.

Chanda?s was a similar tale with a slight twist. He showed his peaceful intentions with a draw offer early in the opening that was declined by Konguvel.

However, after going for the ultra sharp Keres attack, Konguvel sacrificed a pawn for some optical advantage and Chanda gained decisive ground with precise defence. (PTI)