Harika moves closer to semis spot

Cap d’Agde (France), Oct 27 

She had the advantage of playing with white but had to use all her defensive skills against France’s GM Marie Sebag to get away with a crucial half-point.

Harika is on 6.5 points after her penultimate league game and shares the fourth place with GM Romain Edouard. She finds herself in a tough position, having to face Anatoly Karpov in her last match. She needs to beat the legendary player to make it to the knockout stage; a draw might also help but only if Edouard too draws or loses his game.

Edouard, who started the day on 5.5 points, upset Harika’s calculations by pulling off an unexpected victory over Karpov today. Edouard (ELO rating 2628) takes on the much higher-ranked Etienne Bacrot (2692) in his last game. — PTI