Two draws put Harika in sixth
Grand Master Harika Dronavalli, the lone Indian at the prestigious 14th Anatoly Karpov rapid international chess tournament played out two strong draws over the weekend at Cap d’Agde in France.
Harika, who started the day in seventh place on the points table, took on local favourite and Grand Master Edouard Romain with an ELO rating of 2628 in Round Five. With both players looking for a second win, the game was poised for an exciting finish. However, with time running out, they settled for a draw.
The world no. 5 Indian in her next round game ran into another local GM, Sebag Marie, with an ELO rating of 2488.
Harika started off on an aggressive note but the Frenchwoman stood her ground to escape with a draw.
Even though she would have liked better results, Harika was content with her performance. “It was a good day overall for me. I would have wanted to end the day with one win at least, but overall in terms of how the tournaments is poised, every point is crucial and I am happy to have at least secured a point from two games,” the Hyderabad lass said.
Harika, who has one win, three draws and two defeats is sixth on the leader board. The fourth day will be crucial for her as she will need to be on top of her game to keep her hopes alive to qualify for the knock-out stages. However, it will be a real test for her in her next two rounds as she will take on the highest rated player of the tournament Bacrot Etienne of France and the legendary Anapoly Karpov of Russia, the no. 1 seeded player in the fifth and sixth round respectively.
Harika, who has one win, three draws and two defeats is sixth on the tournament’s leader board