Harika posts second straight win

Abu Dhabi, AUgust 16

Grandmaster Harika Dronavalli defeated Rauf Mamedov from Azerbaijan for her second win of the Masters Tournament at the Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival here. The world No. 9, playing with white pieces, started off on an aggressive note which led Mamedov to commit mistakes early into the game. 

She did not take the foot off the pedal as the game progressed and found the winning move after a long and gruelling 56-move game.

 “I did not try anything new. I just played a setup that I had practised long ago. My opponent made two mistakes in the initial stages, which gave me the edge and I kept pressure throughout,” said Harika. “It is satisfying that I beat the third seed but I still have seven more games to go.” — PTI