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Indian GMs catch up with the pacemakers

Dubai: Indian Grandmasters caught up with seeded players for the lead with 3.5 points after four rounds of the Al Ain Chess Classic at the Hili Rotana hotel in Al Ain. Abhijeet Gupta from Bhilwara, GN Gopal of Kerala, both 25 years old, and Deep Sengupta from Jharkand, 26, beat their respective opponents to join a 12-way tie.

Gupta crushed the Budapest Gambit of GM Viktor Moskalenko of Spain in 41 moves. Sengupta beat GM Arman Pashikian of Armenia in a marathon 79 move Rook and Pawn endgame. Gopal needed only 29 moves to crush the Caro Kann defence of compatriot IM Shardul Gagare.

The round four victors caught up with top seed Yuriy Kryvoruchko of Ukraine who was held to a draw by GM Tigran Petrosian of Armenia in a marathon 71 moves.

The two are tied with 3.5 points together with GMs Yuriy Kuzubov, Alexander Kovchan, Mikhailo Oleksienko and Vladimir Onischuk of Ukraine, Sergei Zhigalko of Belarus, Gaioz Nigalidze of Georgia and Samuel Shankland of the USA.

Shankland smashed the French Defence of Ulvi Bajarani of Azerbaijan in only 21 moves. Onischuk outmaneouvered the French Defence of Sahaj Grover of India in 43 moves.

Kovchan used the Center Counter Defence to turn back WGM Gulnar Mammadova of Azerbaijan in 48 moves. The other encounters among the leaders were draws between Kuzubov and Oleksienko in a 72-move Rook and pawn endgame and between Nigalidze and Zhigalko in 73 moves of an English Opening.

Twenty players follow with three points each in the nine-round Swiss System event.