Indian prodigy GM Negi Parimarjan stopped erstwhile solo leader GM Yu Yangyi of China to grab the lead alone with 5 points after 6 rounds of the Asian Continental Championship. In the Women's division, WGM Irene Sukandar of Indonesia widened her lead in the homestretch of the Asian Continental Championship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Negi (above left) used the Sicilian Defense and survived a sacrificial attack by Yu (right). The Indian teenager emerged a piece up after the skirmish and forced an exchange of Queens and resignation on the 51st move.

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Eight men trail a half point behind. With 4.5 points each are Yu, Filipinos John Paul Gomez, Oliver Barbosa and Mark Paragua, Chinese IM Liu Qingnan and GMs Ding Liren and Lu Shanglei, and GM Salem A. R. Saleh of the United Arab Emirates.

GM Oliver Barbosa of the Philippines (right) beat GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia (left).


Gomez used the Gruenfeld defense to hold Ding Liren to a draw. IM Liu Shilan used the Modern Defense to hold 19-year-old Salem A.R. Saleh to a draw in 46 moves.

GM Mark Paragua of the Philippines (right) beat GM Abhijeet Gupta of India (left).



Among the Filipinos, Paragua turned back the Queen's Gambit of Gupta, transposed to a Rook and pawn endgame and forced resignation in 48 moves. GM Oliver Barbosa won over GM Susanto Megaranto of Indonesia in a very complicated game with many pieces hanging. In the end, Barbosa promoted his pawn to a Knight to fork Megaranto’s King and Queen and force him to resign on the 56th move.

In a game between two Chinese, GM Lu Shanglei smashed the Sicilian Defenbse of IM Gao Rui, weaving a mating  net in 53 moves.

WGM Irene Sukandar of Indonesia (right) beat Munguntuul Batkhuyag of Mongolia (left).


Widening her lead in the Women's division, Sukandar used the Sicilian Defense to beat IM Munguntuul Batkhuyag of Mongolia in 71 moves. The Indonesian saddled her opponent with doubled pawns and transposed to a Rook and pawn endgame with an outside passed pawn. The game ended in a well known technical win.

Four women trail a full point behind. With 4.5 points each are WGM Nguyen Thi Thanh An of Vietnam, GM Zhao Xue and WGM Ding Yixin, both of China, and WGM Mary Ann Gomes of India.

Ding Yixin and Thi Thanh An drew in 30 moves of a Sicilian Defense. Mary Ann Gomes essayed the Nimzoindian defense and won a pawn on the 28th move to seal the win over compatriot Tani Sachdev. Top seed Zhao Xue outclassed thi Bao Tram Hoang of Vietnam.