MUMBAI, AUG 20 (PTI): Top seed Mayank Chakraborty began his campaign with an impressive win while two leading contenders — Vignesh Advaith Vemula and Akhilbay Imangali — were held to a draw by lower-rated opponents in the Asian Junior Classical Championship here on Thursday.
Vignesh was forced to share the point with Neemay Bhanushali, while Imangali of Kazakhstan was held by Rishaan Jain.
The opening round in the girls section, however, produced a couple of notable upsets.
Swara Lakshmi S. Nair was held to a draw by Vakcheri Mohitha despite enjoying a significant rating advantage, while Aadya Gowda scored an impressive victory over the higher-rated WFM Mrittika Mallick.
Another surprise result saw Liliya Belaya of Uzbekistan defeat the higher-rated Archita Agrawal of India.
The Open Championship has attracted a strong field of 85 players representing nine federations. The tournament features six International Masters and eleven FIDE Masters, making it one of the strongest junior events in Asia.
Leading the field is top seed International Master Mayank Chakraborty of India, rated 2500.
The girls championship has attracted players from seven federations. The top three seeds, WFM Pratitee Bordoloi of India, WFM Mariya Kholyavko of Kazakhstan and WFM Shohradova Lala of Turkmenistan, opened their campaigns with convincing victories to move into the lead group after the first round.
The championship was inaugurated by Grandmaster Vidit Gujrathi, who has been named a recipient of the prestigious Arjuna Award.
