Indian IM stuns Dubai Open chess title holder to move into joint lead
DUABI (ALETIHAD)International Master (IM) S Rohith Krishna of India defeated defending champion GM Mahammad Muradli of Azerbaijan to rise to the top of the standings in a tie with Grandmaster (GM) Aleksey Grebnev of Russia after the sixth round of the 25th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club. Grebnev, the overnight solo leader, drew with top-seed GM Nihal Sarin on the first board, allowing Krishna to join him for the lead with five points each. Nihal remains in joint second place with 4.5 points, alongside his compatriot GM Bharath Subramaniyam, GM Ivan Zemlyanskii of Russia, GM Shant Sargsyan of Armenia, and GM Sina Movahed of Iran. Muradli, playing black, sacrificed a pawn on the sixth move in a delayed Benko Gambit and a few moves later the game reached a position that was previously seen in a game between world No.2 Hikaru Nakamura and former FIDE world champion Ruslan Ponomariov. Muradli, however, deviated on move 13, a questionable decision that allowed Krishna to gain time to reinforce his central pawns and plant an uncontested knight on the c4-square, the white knight's ideal outpost in the Benko Gambit. It was all downhill from thereon for Muradli as Krishna managed to create a powerful passed pawn on the a-file and a strong initiative in the queenside. Muradli sacrificed his rook for a bishop and to eliminate the dangerous passed pawn, while pinning his hopes on his passer on the c-file, but Krishna's two rooks proved more than a match for Muradli's bishop-and-rook combo in the endgame. Sarin took risks to unbalance the position and create chances against Grebnev, leaving his king in the centre and launching a kingside pawn storm, but the Russian defended accurately and the game ended in a draw by repetition of moves.
In Category B, Fide Master (FM) Mahdi Nikookar of Iran won his sixth straight game to remain the only player with a perfect score in the tournament. Nikookar defeated Candidate Master (CM) Allayar Shirliyev of Turkmenistan for his sixth point, half a point ahead of Sri Lanka's Pesandu Rashmitha Liyanage, who has 5.5 points after winning over FM Sajid Sakline Mostafa of Bangladesh. CM Alankar Sawai Vandan of India and Davit Baghdasaryan of Armenia are in joint third place with five points each.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Gulf Today
19 hours ago
- Gulf Today
Fujairah to host Middle East's first FIDE Fair Play Seminar
Fujairah: The Fujairah Chess and Culture Club has announced that it will host the FIDE Fair Play Seminar, which will take place for the first time in the Middle East, from August 28 to 31. The seminar is organized by the FIDE Fair Play Commission in cooperation with the Fujairah Chess and Culture Club. Dr. Abdullah Al Barkat, Chairman of the Club's Board of Directors, confirmed that hosting the seminar reflects the efforts of the Emirate of Fujairah to promote integrity and transparency in chess. The upcoming seminar will host a distinguished panel of internationally recognised lecturers who are experts in the field of fair play in chess. These specialists will share their extensive knowledge on how to apply and interpret laws related to anti-cheating, ensuring that participants and organizers alike understand the principles and procedures necessary to uphold integrity across all levels of competition. The seminar's programme will offer a comprehensive exploration of fair play from both a theoretical and practical perspective, addressing the challenges of safeguarding tournaments from unethical behavior. The carefully curated sessions will cover a broad range of topics, including: The legal framework for Fair Play – understanding the rules, policies, and enforcement mechanisms that govern fair competition in chess. Anti-Cheating Regulations – Detailed examination of FIDE and other governing bodies' regulations, including procedures for identifying, preventing, and responding to cheating incidents. Statistical analysis in fair play: Professor Regan's statistics– a presentation on Professor Kenneth Regan's internationally acclaimed statistical models for detecting irregularities in player performance. Technical Devices and their Usage – insight into the tools and technologies employed to monitor games, detect cheating, and maintain secure playing environments. Fair play theory and practice at over-the-board (OTB) events – practical strategies for tournament arbiters and organisers to implement fair play measures effectively during live competitions. Mohammed Abdullah Al Zaabi, Vice Chairman of the Club's Board of Directors, stated that one of the main objectives of hosting the seminar is to contribute to the development of chess arbiters' capabilities in the UAE and participating countries, as this is a basic requirement for them. The lecturers will be delivered by Salomeja Zaksaite from Lithuania and Gopakumar M S from India.
Int'l Cricket Council
5 days ago
- Int'l Cricket Council
India duo gain career-best ranking after stunning Test win
India pacers Mohammed Siraj and Prasidh Krishna achieved their career-best ratings of 674 points and 368 points respectively after their memorable performances in The Oval Test against England. While Player of the Match in the fifth Test Siraj climbed 12 places to grab 15th spot in the latest ICC Men's Test Bowler Rankings , fellow pacer Krishna moved 25 places to rank 59th in the list after picking up eight wickets in the deciding Test which India won by six runs. This is both Siraj and Krishna highest ever position in the Test ranking, after churning out match winning spells in the final Test against England. England pacers Gus Atkinson and Josh Tongue have also attained their career-best positions after snapping eight wickets each in The Oval Test. While Atkinson breaks into the top 10 for the first time, Tongue is up 14 places to secure the 46th position in the rankings table. The Oval centurion Yashasvi Jaiswal gained three spots to break into the top five for Test batters with 792 rating points even as the other centurions in the game Joe Root and Harry Brook continue to firmly hold the first two positions in the ICC Men's Test Batter Rankings. From the Zimbabwe-New Zealand series, Daryl Mitchell jumped up four places to break into the top 10 of the batter rankings while teammate Matt Henry sits pretty in fourth spot jumping three rungs ahead with a career-best 817 rating points, while continuing his shorter formats form into red-ball cricket as well. In T20I rankings news, Australia's Tim David gained two spots to grab the 16th position thanks to a blistering century against the West Indies as Pakistan opener Saim Ayub leap-frogged to 37th position, climbing 25 positions after his stellar show in Florida. The highest T20I wicket-getter for the West Indies, Jason Holder improved 23 spots to equal Keshav Maharaj in 32nd spot in the ICC Men's T20I Bowler Rankings. Men's RankingsNewsICC World Test Championship, 2025/27
Gulf Today
02-08-2025
- Gulf Today
Krishna and Siraj rock England in Test series finale
Guyer Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj took four wickets each as India fought back in the fifth and deciding Test against England at the Oval on Friday. England were 129-1 in reply to India's 224 all out as they threatened to build a substantial first-innings lead. But they were eventually dismissed for 247, just 23 runs ahead. The recalled Krishna had figures of 4-62 in 16 overs and fellow paceman Siraj 4-86 in 16.2 in a match India must win to end one of the most enthralling series in England since the 2005 Ashes level at 2-2. India were 75-2 in their second innings, a lead of 52 runs, when bad light ended play on the second day, with England a bowler down in the absence of the injured Chris Woakes. Yashasvi Jaiswal was 51 not out after being dropped twice. The left-handed opener was reprieved on 20 when Harry Brook floored a tough catch at second slip following a loose drive off Gus Atkinson. And he was missed again on 40 when Liam Dawson failed to sight a catch in the deep and was hit in the face. Jaiswal cashed in with a 44-ball fifty completed when he guided Jamie Overton over the slips for six. India opener KL Rahul was caught by first slip Joe Root off Josh Tongue before Sai Sudharsan, dropped on seven, was lbw to Atkinson for 11. Earlier, Crawley and Ben Duckett shared a blistering first-wicket stand of 92 in just 13 overs after Atkinson marked his return to Test cricket with a five-wicket haul. Both openers fell either side of lunch, however, before stand-in England captain Ollie Pope, leading the side in place of the injured Ben Stokes, was lbw to Siraj for 22. Crawley and Duckett dominated India's attack, with left-hander Duckett telling Akash Deep 'you can't get me out'. Deep, however, had Duckett caught behind for 43 off an attempted scoop, then put his arm round the unimpressed batsman's shoulder and appeared to say a few words as he walked off. This incident came after India captain Shubman Gill accused England of ignoring the 'spirit of cricket' by time-wasting in the third Test at Lord's. England were then angered by the India's decision to bat on in the fourth Test at Old Trafford rather than agree a draw as soon as possible. Siraj stars: Ater Duckett's exit, Crawley holed out off a miscued pull against Krishna for 64, with 56 of those runs coming in boundaries. The usually mild-mannered Root, second in the all-time list of Test match run scorers, found himself exchanging words with Krishna before the umpires intervened, and was lbw to Siraj for 29. Jamie Smith's edged drive off Krishna well caught by Rahul at second slip and four balls later Overton was lbw for a duck. Brook struck an extraordinary 'falling' sweep for six off Siraj during a 57-ball fifty. But Siraj bowled him for 53, with Brook the last man out as Woakes was unable to bat. England paceman Woakes was effectively ruled out of the rest of the match before play on Friday after suffering a shoulder injury when diving in an attempt to prevent a boundary on Thursday. But Atkinson responded with a superb return of 5-33 in 21.4 in an innings where he also ran out the in-form Gill. The 27-year-old's fourth five-wicket haul in just 13 Tests was all the more creditable as this was Atkinson's first senior match since being sidelined with hamstring trouble following a one-off Test against Zimbabwe in May. India, who resumed on 204-6, lost their last four wickets for just 20 more runs in 5.4 overs on Friday. Agence France-Presse
