The Asian Chess Championship has reached two-thirds of its journey. The tension is increasing, and one could say it’s palpable, especially in the tournament hall. The most important game was played on the first board and revealed the sole leader of the tournament. Rinat Zhumabaev boldly ventured into intricate complications, but his opponent proved to be more precise. Before the final round, Shamsiddin Vokhidov (Uzbekistan) leads the pack, with a one-point lead over a large group of pursuers (12 players).
A fascinating game was played between Alisher Suleimenov and the 2016 Asian Champion, Sethuraman. The game was consistently in favor of the Kazakhstani player, although with occasional subtleties and implementation difficulties. With an elegant combination under the opponent’s time pressure, the Pavlodar player managed to tip the scales in his favor. Murtas Kazhgaleev and Azamat Utegaliyev fought uncompromisingly. The Grandmaster launched an attack but made an imprecise move at a critical moment in the game, allowing the defense to prevail. Kazymbek Nogerbek played a solid game as Black against an opponent with a decent rating. With three rounds remaining, Shamsiddin Vokhidov leads with 5.5 points out of 6. M. Madaminov (Uzbekistan), B. Daneshvar, Pur Amirreza (both from Iran), R. Zhumabaev, A. Suleimenov, A. Utegaliyev, K. Nogerbek (all from Kazakhstan), A. Puranik, V. Pranav, A. Erigaisi, G. Aronyak (all from India), and Z. Tin (Singapore) all have 4.5 points.
As always, the women’s section was fiercely contested. Mari Gomes (India) and B. Munguntuul (Mongolia) “haggled” for over a hundred moves before the white pawn finally promoted to a queen. Unfortunately, to the disappointment of Kazakhstani fans, Alua Nurmanova lost a hard-fought battle against D. Divya (India).
Kseniya Balabaeva and Meruert Kamalidenova spent a considerable amount of time determining who was stronger, and the game ultimately ended in a draw. N. Nurgali came close to success against experienced player Sukandar (Indonesia), but her opponent managed to fend off the attack. T. Munkhzul (Mongolia) secured an important victory, allowing her to claim the third position in the standings. After six rounds, the quartet of leaders transformed into a duo: M. Gomes and D. Divya (both from India) have scored 5 points each. T. Munkhzul has 4.5 points. K. Balabaeva, A. Nurmanova, M. Kamalidenova (all from Kazakhstan), B. Munguntuul (Mongolia), A. Khamdamova (Uzbekistan), and M. Alinasab (Iran) have 4 points each. N. Nurgali, A. Serikbay, and L. Kurmangaliyeva have 3.5 points and are still “in contention” for overall success if they finish strong.