Indian Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram maintained the lead at the 7th edition of the Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship.

Chithambaram stayed on top following a comfortable draw against Sam Shankland of the US in the sixth round of the tournament.

Taking place under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, the championship is being organised by the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club.

298 players from 60 countries are competing in the Sharjah Masters, which carries a total prize purse of $65,000.

Chithambaram’s impressive performance at the Sharjah Masters has put him on the cusp of chess greatness.

His five points from six games put him just two points away from achieving a coveted 2700 FIDE rating, a benchmark signifying entry into the elite club of Indian chess Grandmasters.

UAE and Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club star Salem Abdul Rahman Saleh, with a rating of 2629, shared a point with his Iranian opponent Amin Tabatabaei (2707), the champion of the fourth edition of the Masters, after an exciting match that lasted nearly four hours.

Salem was ahead by a pawn until the endgame, but the Iranian’s experience helped him in the final seconds, ending the match in a draw.

With this result, Salem reached four points, with three wins, two draws, and one loss.

Signaling a touch battle on the cards, six players, including rising stars Arjun Erigaisi and Alexey Sarana, who secured wins in the sixth round, are now just half a point behind the leading Indian GM Chithambaram.

Iranian duo Bardiya Denshvar and Amin Tabatabaei, American stars Hans Moke Neimann and Shankland, Sarana, and Arjun share the second spot with 4.5 points each. Defending champion and Indian Grandmaster Erigaisi (rated 2761) dominated the game against Daniil Yuffa of Russia.

Despite playing with the black pieces in a Queen’s pawn opening, Arjun navigated pressure in the middlegame and made a stunning tactical sacrifice.

This daring move secured him a three-pawn advantage, and Arjun never looked back, converting his material superiority into a convincing win after 42 moves.

Teimour Radjabov, a three-time Candidates’ participant and the fourth seed, began the Sharjah Masters with a string of five draws. However, in the sixth round, he secured victory against Arseniy Nesterov. This win showcased both his strategic brilliance and a delightful tactical finish.

Shreyas Royal of England moved closer to securing another Grandmaster norm by holding Abhimanyu Puranik to a commendable draw.

In the Challengers Championship, which launched simultaneously with the Sharjah Masters, Moldovian Jegor Lashkin drew with Russia’s Leya Garifullina. On the second board,

India’s Divya Deshmukh also played a draw with Neuris Delgado Ramirez.

Egyptian Abdelrahman Hesham suffered his second loss in the tournament at the hands of India’s Nitish Belurkar.

Earlier, Engineer Talal Ahmed Al-Zaabi began the proceedings of the sixth round of the Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship.

The sixth round was also attended by Taryam Matar Taryam, President of the UAE Chess Federation; Imran Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club; Abdullah Hassan Al Hammadi, Secretary General of the Arab Chess Federation; Husan Turdialiev, Vice President of the Uzbekistan Chess Federation; Omar Noaman Al Ali, Assistant Secretary General of the club; Rajai Alsusi, Executive Director of the club, and a large number of fans.

Zaabi praised the significant role played by the organizing committee to make the event a success and deliver it in an outstanding manner.

He stated that the Sharjah Masters is a major event that enhances the Sharjah Club’s position on the global stage, contributes to the flourishing sports and cultural scene in Emirate, and provides fans with the opportunity to follow the top stars of the game.