Malti and Akhtar are on the top position with 6.5 points each at the end of the concluding round. As the second round game between them was a draw, both of them have the same progressive score of 25 each. Both the players remained unbeaten.

Malti defeated Schoolboy Parag Terwadkar, while Vakil was lucky to win a full point from overnight leader Santosh Borkar in an equal position.

The Group A sixth and seventh round matches will be played on tonight and Tuesday night. The play-off matches will commence from Wednesday. Thirtytwo players will fight for Senior Division promotion and one of the 12 prizes in the six-round play-off event.

Parag, who won the first five games, suffered his second consecutive defeat. However with hisbest progressive score among the five-pointers, Parag has qualified for the play-off matches along with his school-mate Gaurav Hingne. Out of ten, others with a tally of five points only six will be in.

With a score of 5.5 points, Nilesh Dalvi, V N Sonavane of CID Branch Office, Jitendra Khadilkar, Pradeep Sawant, Harshwardhan Ambarlekar, Niharika Thakkar of Vissanji School and Vithal Madhav have entered the play-off event with ease.

On the top board, Vakil replied with the Sicilian Defence to Borkars E4 opening. On the 22nd move, Borkar made a bad move of Bishop in an equal position. Vakil immediately started giving checks to White King by his rook. Borkar saw an imminent loss of White rook and resigned on the 23rd turn.

Parag, while playing against Malti, started an unsound premature attack by pushing his ‘G pawn on the 17th move. Malti immediately seized the opportunity to attack the White king and castle. After realising the unavoidable loss of a full rook, Parag agreed the defeat on the 21stmove.

In Group A, Vatsalya Saxena is the sole leader with five points after five rounds.

Collegiate chess postponed

The Inter-Collegiate chess tournament will now commence on August 11 at the University Pavilion, Marine Lines, instead of August 4, as intimated earlier.