Aditypur lad Satyam Kumar emerged sole leader with 7 points on Wednesday, the penultimate day of East Singhbhum District Chess Championship that is underway at the eastern wing of JRD Tata Sports Complex.
Six contestants - Ajit Masih, Vatsal Singhania, Manisha Masih, Harjeet Singh, Anshul Nigam and Pragya Nand Kumar - are following the leader with six points each in their kitties. Dev Anup, K.M. Prasad and Ishan Gupta are all tied in the third spot.
Satyam beat Vatsal Singhania to clinch the top slot after the seventh round. The youngster, who is registered with East Singhbhum District Chess Association, made some clever moves to outsmart his rival.
"The competition is being held in a smooth manner and the participants are showing a sense of intent to win matches. After all, the district championship is a selection trial for picking players for the 24-member district side for the state ranking tournament to be held in Ranchi from March 21 to 26," said the chess association's treasurer and chief arbiter of the event Jayant Bhuiyan.
