Grandmasters lead the way as foreign players dominate in Round 3

Foreign Grandmasters Levan Pantsulaia, Manuel Petrosyan, and Luka Paichadze continue to dominate the Aurionpro International Junior Chess Tournament, with Indian and junior players battling for supremacy as the tournament progresses

Hyderabad: The race for the top honours in the Aurionpro International Junior Chess Tournament intensified as the lead narrowed to just 12 players at the end of Round 3 at the World Trade Centre in Mumbai on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the foreign Grandmasters continued to assert their dominance in the GM category with yet another commanding display in Round 3.

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Top seed GM Levan Pantsulaia, second seed GM Manuel Petrosyan, and third seed GM Luka Paichadze all registered confident victories over their respective opponents, reaffirming their billing as tournament favourites.

The only notable upset of the day came on board 10, where the unheralded Guru Prakash created a minor stir by holding Indian Grandmaster Deepan Chakravarthy to a creditable draw.

In the junior event, on the top board, top-seed FIDE Master Aansh Nerurkar was made to work hard by Mysha Parwez. Playing with the black pieces, Aansh navigated a challenging Catalan Opening to eventually outplay his opponent and secure a full point.

The second board witnessed a dominant performance from second seed Candidate Master Madhesh Kumar, who dismantled Advik Reddy in just 47 moves. Playing from the white side of the French Defence, Madhesh demonstrated sharp tactical awareness to force an early result.

Meanwhile, on board three, National U-11 Champion Madhavendra Sharma showcased his class and control. Facing Shitiz Prasad, Madhavendra steered the game confidently from the white side of the French Defence to notch an impressive victory.

With six rounds still to play, the battle for supremacy is heating up as the tournament progresses.