Ameya and Gusian shared lead

Sports Bureau

VISAKHAPATNAM

IM Audi Ameya and Himal Gusian, both from India, shared lead with three others, GMs Boris Saychenko of Russia, Kirill Stupak of Belarus and Luka Paichadze of Georgia with 6.5 points each at the end of eight rounds of the GITAM University Grandmasters chess championship here on Wednesday.

On the top board, Himal and Ameya played four Knights defence and got into an interesting middle-game where both played cautiously and went on to a rook and pawn ending. The two eventually settled for a draw in 35 moves.

On the second board, overnight leader GM Amonatov Farrukh was stunned by Paichadze Luka in a complex Caro-Kann Opening. Farrukh offered an unsound sacrifice of his knight on the 21st move only to lose the game in 57 moves.

On the fifth board, giant killer Ilamparthi of India lost to the experienced GM Stupak Kirill of Belarus in a marathon game that lasted 73 moves.

The results (eighth round):

Himal Gusain (Ind) 6.5 drew with Audi Ameya (Ind) 6.5; Farrukh Amonatov (Tjk) 6 lost to Luka Paichadze (Geo) 6.5; Harsha Bharathkoti (Ind) 6 drew with Azer Mirzoev (Aze) 6; Neelotpal Das (5.5) lost to Boris Savchenko (Rus) 6.5; A.R. Illamparthi (Ind) 5.5 lost to Kirill Stupak (Blr) 6.5; Alexei Fedorov (Blr) 5.5 drew with Aaryan Varshney (Ind) 5; P. Konguvel (Ind) 5 lost to Mitrabha Guha (Ind) 6.