Dragon variation

Aurionpro Mumbai International Chess Tournament: The first round of the Junior Section of the Aurionpro Mumbai International Chess Tournament saw its first surprise as fourth-seeded Avirat Chauhan (ELO 2168) was held to a draw by the lower-rated Tanmay R here on Monday.

Playing with white pieces, Avirat opened with 1.e4, to which Tanmay responded with the sharp Dragon Variation of the Sicilian Defence. The game remained evenly balanced, with regular exchanges of material. Despite Avirat’s experience, Tanmay held his ground with composure, and the players agreed to a draw after 29 well-fought moves.

Apart from this result, the rest of the top seeds had smooth sailing. Top-seed FM Aansh Nerurkar, second-seed Madhesh Kumar, and third-seed Advik Agarwal notched up comfortable wins to advance to the second round of this ₹15.00 lakh prize money event.