Daunting task ahead for Harikrishna

Crimea, Ukraine:

Grandmaster P Harikrishna has a daunting task on hand if he has to make any great impression in the remaining rounds of the Aerosvit International Grandmasters chess tournament here. The former World Junior champion is on 2.5 points from six games played till the near half stage of the category-18 super tournament and needs a few big victories in the rounds to come. In the seventh round to be played after the lone rest day of the tournament, Harikrishna is slated to meet leader Sergei Rublevsky of Russia. With five rounds still remaining, Rublevsky is sitting pretty in the tournament having 4.5 points and has a half point lead over nearest rival Viktor Bologan of Moldova. Vassily Ivanchuk of Ukraine shares the third spot with compatriot Andrei Volokitin and Alexander Grischuk of Russia on 3.5 points each. Shakhriyar Mamedyarov of Azerbaijan and Alexei Shirov of Spain are in joint sixth spot on three points while Harikrishna stands joint eighth on 2.5 points along with Liviu-Dieter Nisipeanu of Romania. Ukrainian trio of Sergey Karjakin, Alexander Areshchenko and former world champion Ruslan Ponomariov are in the cellar with just two points in their bag. (PTI)