Ram takes sole lead

Ram Parab

Ram Parab, seeded fourth, won his sixth consecutive encounter to occupy sole lead after the penultimate round of the 360 One Wealth Grand Prix Chess Series at Russian Centre for Science and Culture in Tardeo.

In the encounter between the overnight leaders, Ram, playing with white, opted for a seldom-played variation in response to Arnav Koli's move in the Sicilian Defense.

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Despite Arnav swiftly equalising the position, a defensive oversight on his part in move 19 allowed Ram to gain a material advantage. In an attempt to recover, Arnav sacrificed his queen for a rook and a knight, but it proved insufficient as Ram efficiently converted the advantage into a victory.

On the second board, Arvind Iyer, seeded second, found himself unable to penetrate Guru Prakash's defense, leading to a drawn match. Similarly, Atharv Soni also had to settle for a draw in his game against Darsh Shetty.