Three share lead in world junior chess

Grandmaster Ivan Lopez Salgado of Spain and two IMs Piorun Kacper of Poland and Axel Romabaldoni of Italy shared the lead with three points at the end of the third round of the SDAT-Ramco 50th World Junior Chess Championships here Thursday.

Grandmaster Ivan Lopez Salgado of Spain and two IMs Piorun Kacper of Poland and Axel Romabaldoni of Italy shared the lead with three points at the end of the third round of the SDAT-Ramco 50th World Junior Chess Championships here Thursday.

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Salgado outplayed Indian IM Vidit Santosh Gujrathi in a top board game. He employed the Grunfeld defence favoured by most former world champions like Kasparov, Fischer, Botvinnik.

Vidit, playing white, went for tactics a little too early and found himself losing two pieces for a Rook. The Spanish GM converted the advantage into a full point easily.

Rombaldoni upset GM Nils Grandelius in an irregular Sicilian game. The Swedish GM faced uncomfortable pressure by the Italian IM's major pieces.