Harikrishna maintains lead

Grandmaster P Harikrishna maintained his lead with seven points after the completion of eight rounds in the World Junior Chess championship in Kochi on Wednesday.

Harikrishna, on board two, defeated teammate and GM Koneru Humpy, the lone girl figuring in the boys' field, in 36 moves, to maintain his sole lead.

On the top board, GM Tigran Petrosian of Armenia was held to a draw by 12th seed Zhao Jun of China in 58 moves.

Top seed Ferenc Berkes (Hungary) was held to a draw by IM Jianu Vlad-Cristian of Romania in Larsen opening in 21 moves while GM Evgeny Aleekseev of Russia defeated IM Radoslaw Wojtaszek (Poland) in Benoni modern opening in 43 moves.

Petrosian and Zhao Jun are behind the leader with 6.5 points each.

GM Yuri Drozdovsky (Ukraine) kept his reputation as he crushed his opponent David Smerdon (Australia) in 28 moves.

In another board, Elshan Moradibadi (Iran) held GM Timur Gareyev of Uzbekistan to a draw in queen's gambit opening in 90 moves.

In the Girls' Championship, which is also played simultaneously, top seed WGM Ekaterina Korbut (Russia) WGM Anna Ushenina (Ukraine) and WGM Elisabeth Paehtz (Germany) are jointly leading with 6 points each after 8 rounds.

Women International Master Eesha Karavade, Saheli Nath, N Vinuthna and J E Kavitha are in the second position with 5.5 points each.

On the top board, Ekaterina Korburt defeated Anna Ushenina in Sicilian defence in 80 moves, to be among the leaders, while in another board, India's medal hope Eesha Karavade held second seed Elisabeth Paehtz in Kings Indian defence in 75 moves.

Fourteen-year-old India's N Saheli Nath, the national sub-junior champion, seeded 20 here, held seventh seed Zhang Jilin (China) to a draw in 55 moves, while J E Kavitha, shocked WIM Ghader Pour Shaesteh (Iran) in Sicilian Alapin variation in 39 moves.

India's Vinuthna jolted WIM Aketayeva Dana of Kazakhstan in 50 moves.

Other winners include MFM Alina Motoc Alina (Romania), WIM Anastasiya Gutsko (Ukraine), WFM Perez R Jennifer of Cuba, Van Weersel Arlette (Netherlands), Marcela Colautti (Argentina), and Tania Sachdev, N Raghavi, Anuprita Patil, Ramya Krishna and C Delphin (all from India).