Chess Tournament: Visakh and Vishnu on top

Sharing the lead with the Indian duo at six points were GMs Ponkratov Pavel (Russia), Martinez Alcantara Jose Eduardo (Peru), Yudin Sergei (Russia), Bogdanovich Stanislav (Ukraine) and Goganov Aleksey (Russia). Half-a-point behind the leaders at 5.5 points were 13 players, including Indians Neelotpal Das, MR Venkatesh, PDS Girinath, Mitrabha Guha, Jubin Jimmy and GB Harshavardhan.

The top three boards ended in draws, helping the rest to catch up with the leaders. In-form, Harshavardhan bounced back from Tuesday's defeat, holding Grandmaster Vasquez Schroeder Rodrigo (Chile) to a fine draw. With 5.5 points in his kitty, Harshavardhan is on track for his third International Master Norm. 

Other likely International Master Norm prospects are Jubin and V Pranav, who need to peak their performance in the home-run. Three rounds remain in the 10-round Swiss tournament that carries a total prize money of Rs. 15, 00, 000.