Indian Grand Master Harika Dronavalli played out a draw in the eighth round against Russian GM Ivan Rozum and won the penultimate round against IM David J Eggleston from England, to finish ninth in the Master’s Tournament of the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival, here in the capital city of UAE.
The World number nine Indian, playing with black pieces, got off to a flying start but couldn’t keep the momentum going in her favour as a miscalculated move got her into a complicated position. From thereon after, it became an uphill task for her and succumbed under the pressure after 38 moves.
“The game was equal in the initial phases but an unforced error through a pawn sacrifice made the game slip away from my hands and I eventually lost,” Harika said after her eighth-round encounter.
However, the lass from Guntur, playing with white pieces, bounced back in the last round of the tournament with a win against the Englishman to be adjudged the best women’s player of the tournament.
“I got a great start to the game and slowly grinded my position to get the better of my opponent,” the Hyderabadi said after the tournament culminated in the evening.
As the 24th Abu Dhabi international Chess Festival came to an end, Harika had registered four wins, three draws and two losses and amassed a total of five and a half points. With a finish in the top ten, she will gain a total of two ELO points.