Gulf News
August 17, 2004

SIX SHARE LEAD AFTER SECOND ROUND IN MASTERS

Yasir Abbasher, Staff Reporter

A total of six players shared the leadership in the Masters
Championship at the ongoing 14th Abu Dhabi International Chess
Festival with two points from as many rounds. They will face each
other in the third round to decide the shape of the top of the
standings.

Second seeded Russian GM Mikhail Kobalia beat Uzbekistan IM Tahir
Vakhidov in the second round and will face his countryman GM Dmitry
Bocharov who defeated Iranian IM Morteza Mahjoob.

Kazakhstan GM Pavel Kostur beat IM Faruk Bistric from Bosnia and will
face GM Geleizerov Evgeny from Russia who defeated IM Emad Hekki from
Syria.

Armenian GM Ashot Anastasian beat UAE’s GM Taleb Moussa and will face
IM S Kidambi from India who beat GM Saidali Iuldacev from Uzbekistan.

In second place with 1.5 points are 13 players including top seed GM
Kazakhstan’s Evgeny Vladimirov, GM Pentala Harikrishna, GM
Ramachandran Ramesh and IM Neelotpal Das, all from India, GM Shukhrat
Safin and GM Marat Dzhumaev, both from Uzbekistan, GM Mikhail Ulbin,
GM Ramil Hasangatin and GM Konstantin Chernyshov, all from Russia,
France’s IM Yannick Govvoli, Armenia’s IM Artashes Minasian and
Iranian IM Elshan Moradiabadi.

UAE’s young woman player Amennah Mohammad Saleh was among the 42
players who shared the lead in the Open Tournament with two points
with her countrymen Ali Mahmoud, Ali Abdul Khalig, Ebrahim Mohammad
Khory, Meshaal Moussa, Mansoor Abbass, Hamed Abdul Razzag, Fahad
Ahmad, Eisa Mohammad Khory, Ahmad Abbass and Khalid Khamis.

The leader’s list also featured Germany’s Markus Huster, Bosnian
Boric, Iran’s Shirin Navabi, Egypt’s Ehab Al Sayed, Azerbaijan’s
Bajarani, Avlan Arsitosa and Dizon Manny from the Philippines,
Nicholas D. from Britain.