Harika opens her campaign with easy win

The World No. 10 Indian, playing with white pieces, started off the game on an aggressive note against her male opponent and made breakthroughs from the initial phases of the game. 

However, the young Oyama put up a staunch fight before bowing down to the Indian’s attack and gave away an easy win to his opponent. 

“I found myself in a good position from the start of the game and didn’t let the pressure down on my opponent which eventually gave me an easy win,” Harika conceded after her first-round game. She will now take on the German FIDE Master Babar Michael in her second-round game and will look to continue her momentum buoyed from the first round. 

The Isle of Man tournament features the crème de la crème of the chess fraternity, with the World numero uno, Magnus Carlsen participating alongside India’s Vishwanathan Anand and 159 other players will be competing for the handsome cash prize on offer.