Fifth seed WGM Bhakti Kulkarni (8.5 points) beat overnight leader and top-seed WGM Soumya Swaminathan (7.5) to take sole lead after ten rounds of the 44th National women challengers chess championship 2017 at the Kanteerava Sports Club here on Friday.
Bhakti forged ahead in the middle game capitalising on Soumya’s mistakes and won in 49 moves.
Mary Ann Gomes (8) is placed second.
Important results (10th round): Soumya Swaminathan (7.5) lost Bhakti Kulkarni (8.5), Nisha Mohota (6.5) lost Mary Ann Gomes (8), Meenakshi Subbaraman (6.5) lost P. Bala Kannamma (7.5).
Srishti Pandey (7.5) bt Kiran Manisha Mohanty (6.5), G. Sandhya (7) drew with Parnali S. Dharia (7), Jyotsna L. (7) drew with Sakshi Chitlange (7), Arpita Mukherjee (7) bt Lakshmi C. (6.5), Sanskriti Goyal (6) lost P.V. Nandhidhaa (7), Rucha Pujari (7) bt Divya Lakshmi (6).
Samriddhaa Ghosh (7) bt Harshitha G. (6), Swati Ghate (6.5) bt Aashna Makhija (5.5), N.L.V. Anusha (5.5) lost Srija Seshadri (6.5), P. Michelle Catherine (6) drew with Siddhali Shetye (6), M. Mahalakshmi (6.5) bt Stuti Bhanot (5.5), Chandreyee Hajra (6.5) bt Swera Ana Braganca (5.5).
