ASHGABAT (TURKMENISTAN): Third seed K. Sasikiran justified his rating and claimed the bronze medal in the classical format of chess competition in the Asian Indoor Games here on Sunday.
Sasikiran topped a four-way tie for the third place with five points, half-a-point behind the champion Le Quang Liem of Vietnam and silver-medallist Lu Shanglei of China.
The top-four boards ended in draws and that helped Sasikiran maintain his overnight joint third place. Teammate Surya Shekhar Ganguly finished ninth with 4.5 points.
In the women’s section, where the Chinese duo of World champion Tan Zhongyi and top seed Lei Tingjei won gold and silver, S. Vijayalakshmi finished seventh after winning the final round. Tania Sachdev lost her game and ended up 11th.
Action now shifts to the shorter time-formats in rapid and blitz versions.
The results (involving Indians):
Seventh round: Men: Lu Shanglei (Chn, 5.5) drew with Surya Shekhar Ganguly (4.5); Meilis Annaberdiev (Tkm, 4.5) drew with K. Sasikiran (5).
Women: S. Vijayalakshmi (5) bt Sarasadat Khademalsharieh (Iri, 4); Hoang Thi Bao Tram (Vie, 5) bt Tania Sachdev (4).
Final placings (men): 1. Le Quang Liem (Vie, 5.5); 2. Lu Shanglei (Chn, 5.5); 3. K. Sasikiran (5); 9. Surya Shekhar Ganguly (4.5).
Women: 1. Tan Zhongyi (Chn, 6); 2. Lei Tingjei (Chn, 5.5); 3. Dinara Saduakassova (Kaz, 5); 7. S. Vijayalakshmi (5); 11. Tania Sachdev (4).
