Irans Aryan in lead, Praggnanandhaa, Mitrabha in 2nd spot

Irans Aryan Gholami shot into sole lead in the Under-18 Open, scoring a comprehensive victory in Round 7 of the World Youth Chess Championship here on Monday.

Indias Grand Master R Praggnanandhaa slipped to the second position after settling for a quick draw against top seed Sargsyan Shant of Armenia. He was joined by IM Mitrabha Guha, who pulled off his second straight win to take his tally to 5.5 points.

The countrys other Grand Master P Iniyan, too, had to make do with a draw to be within striking distance of the lead trio.

The Under-18 Girls category saw top-seed Russia's WIM Polina Shuvalova hold on to the leadership position, easing to a quick win against WFM Anna Afonasieva.

Indias best hopes are A Harshini, who inched to 4.5 points with a win, and Makhija Aashna, with 4 points, whose match was ongoing.

In the Under-16 Open, CM Aronyak Ghosh played out a draw with compatriot Moksh Amit Doshi to take the second position along with Russia's Rudik Makarian. Rudik ...