Kunte upstages Rahman, moves on top

Edinburgh:

Continuing with his outstanding form, Grandmaster Abhijit Kunte defeated overnight leader GM Ziaur Rahman of Bangladesh to move to the joint top position in the 8th round of the Smith and Williamson British Chess Championship. GM P Harikrishna joined Abhijit at the top of the tables with a hard-earned victory over compatriot and Commonwealth Women's Champion S Vijayalakshmi. Both Abhijit and Harikrishna have 6.5 points each to their credit and will now meet in the next round. Half a point behind the two leaders were GM Peter Wells of England, double GM norm holder Tejas Bakre and Rahman while a pack of nine players including GM Surya Shekhar Ganguly and Vijayalakshmi were on their toes with 5.5 points apiece. Three more rounds remain to be played in this prestigious event that carries the winner's purse of 10,000 pounds. (PTI)