Mumbai Open Chess: Aleksandrov, Madhesh take sole lead as event enters final stretch

The Mumbai International Grandmaster Chess Tournament witnessed a shift in momentum in the seventh round as veteran GM Aleksej Aleksandrov of Belarus surged to the top of the leaderboard with an emphatic victory at the World Trade Centre, here.

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In the junior section, Candidate Master Madhesh Kumar from Puducherry emerged as the sole leader by defeating Ramanu Mishra to move to 6.5 out of 7.

His consistent performance makes him the top contender for the title, especially as tournament favourite and top seed FM Aansh Nerurkar was held to a draw by Shaunak Badole on board.

In the Grandmaster Section, the top-board clash between Armenian compatriots GM Manuel Petrosyan and IM Arsen Davtyan ended in a quick 16-move draw, with both players opting for a cautious, safety-first approach.

A similar outcome was seen on board 2, where GM Mamikon Gharibyan and Indian GM Lalit Babu settled for a 36-move draw in the Ruy Lopez.