Sasikiran, Harikrishna share lead
as Barua is beaten

Grandmasters Pendyala Harikrishna and Krishnan Sasikiran emerged joint leaders, with 10.5 points each, after the end of the 14th round in the 39th National 'A' chess championship, following victories over WGM S Vijayalakshmi and T Murlikrishnan respectively, in Nagpur, on Wednesday.

Overnight leader Grandmaster Dibyendu Barua lost to IM V Sarvanan and slipped to second place, with 10 points.

IM Suryasekar Ganguly, who was held by IM N Sudhakar Babu, is in third place with nine points.

Harikrishna played white against Vijayalakshmi and faced the queen's Indian defence, which the latter played weakly. He won a pawn on the seventh move and after further exchange of pawns had a passed pawn on 'd' file. He used his rook and two bishops to win an exchange and forced his opponent's resignation on the 42nd move.

In the Nimzo Indian defence game, Sasikiran had black pieces against Murlikrishnan and saddled his rival's weak pawn on 'c4'. After a slow game, when Sasikiran threatened to win the pawn, Murlikrishnan pushed it and got it exchanged.

Sasikiran pinned Murlikrishnan's knight in the process and threatened to win it by attacking the knight with his king. Murlikrishnan blundered in the exchange and resigned on the 44th move.