Nihal Sarin bounces back as Indian stars shine at Asian Chess Championship

Indian Grandmaster Nihal Sarin bounced back with a victory against Russia's Nikita Matinian in the second round of the Asian Individual Chess Championship in Al Ain, UAE on Thursday. The tournament, carrying a prize fund of USD 80,000, serves as part of the World Championship cycle with top players qualifying for the World Chess Cup later this year.Fourth-seeded Murali Karthikeyan secured his second consecutive win by defeating Lou Yipping of Philippines. However, Grandmaster S L Narayanan faced a setback, losing to Uzbekistan's Atakhan Albin.The day proved challenging for higher-seeded players in the premier Asian championship, with many facing tough competition.India's young chess players performed well overall. Abhijeet Gupta registered his first tournament victory by defeating fellow Indian K Senthil Maren.In the women's section, Vantika Agrawal continued her strong form from the opening round, defeating Assel Serikbay to achieve the maximum score of two points.Quiz: Who's that IPL player?Key results in the open section included A R Ilamparthi's victory over Amin Tabatabaei, while Grigory Fedorov lost to Prraneeth Vuppala. Aditya Mittal defeated Bai Adelard, and Siddharth Jagadeesh won against Rashid Husain Alhammadi.Mayank Chakraborty secured a win over Abuazizah Raji, and V Pranav emerged victorious against Sakline Mostafa Sajid.In women's competition, Valentina Gunina defeated Yana Zhapova, while Liya Kurmangaliyeva drew with Song Yuxin. Zarina Nurgaliyeva won against Mungutntuul Batkhuyag.Meruert Kamalidenova defeated Potapova Margarita, and Afruza Khamdamova won against Sakshi Chitlange. Indian players Rakshitta Ravi and Priyanka Nutakki secured victories over Arshiya Das and Rouda Essa Alserkal respectively.The tournament continues to serve as a crucial qualifying event for the upcoming World Chess Cup, attracting top players from across Asia.