Chennai: Grandmaster Parimarajan Negi (Delhi), Deepan Chakravarty (PSPB) and Swayangsu Satyapragyan (Indian Airlines) emerged joint leaders with two points each at the end of the second round of the 45th National A Chess Championship here on Monday.

A total of 14 players are half a point behind.

GM Neelotpal Das of PSPB was shocked by Chennai youngster Vishnu Prasanna. Negi made short work of S. Arun Prasad of PSPB in a Sicilian defence. Chakravarty toiled hard to get the better of IM Saptarshi Roy of Railways in a ruy lopez game.

M. R. Venkatesh of PSPB went down to International Master Satyapragyan in a Sicilian defence game.

GM Praveen Thipsay accounted for Mehar Chinna Reddy of AP while Vidit Gujrati of Maharashtra subdued B. S. Shivanada of Karnataka.