The two top seeds, Grandmasters Dibyendu Barua (West Bengal) and Pravin Thipsay (Banks Sports Board) are sharing the second spot with 6.5 points each. Another half point behind them are International Masters K Murugan (Neyveli Lignite Corporation) and Abhijit Kunte (Petroleum Sports Control Board).

Saravanan made short work of Suvarjit Saha (Railways) by employing the Centre Counter defence in just 17 moves.

Anup Deshmukh of Life Insurance Corporation shocked top seeded Dibyendu Barua in this round. Barua played the Semislav defence with black pieces and sacrificed a pawn for attack on the 17th move. Deshmukh played well to give his queen for rook, bishop and knight on the 27th move and pocketed the full point after 90 moves.

Second seed Thipsay got the better of former champion Konguvel'sPetroff Defence in 41 moves, as the latter's attack fizzled out.

RESULTS

S Saha (Rlys) 5 lost to V Saravanan (PSCB) 7; A Deshmukh (LIC) 5 bt D Barua (WB) 6.5; PM Thipsay (BSB) 6.5 bt P Konguvel (PSCB) 5; A Kunte (PSCB) 6 bt K Sasikiran (TN) 5.5; DK Sharma (UP) 4.5 drew with K Murugan (NLC) 6; Neelotpal Das (WB) 5 drew with Lanka Ravi (NLC) 5; Ravi Hegde (BSB) 0.5 lost to DV Prasad (PSCB) 4.5; Shankar Roy (Rlys) 4 bt Vishal Sareen (LIC) 4; V Koshy (PSCB) (3.5) bt GB Joshi (Del) 2.5.