Indian No 1 Harika Dronavalli finished ninth in the Abu Dhabi International chess festival after winning her last round game against English International Master David Eggleston.
Earlier, it was a shaky start for Dronavalli as she lost her eight-round game to Russian Grand Master Ivan Rozum. Playing with black, it was Dronavalli who had a strong start before Rozum marked a momentum shift in the match with a few calculated moves. Dronavalli, then, went on to lose the game after 38 moves.
Speaking about her defeat, Dronavalli stated, “The game was equal in the initial phases but an unforced error through a pawn sacrifice made the game slip away from my hands and I eventually lost.”
Finishing as best women player and earning some rating points, isn't a bad way to finish #ADChessFestival 😊😊#Chess photo: @SuperAbdullaa pic.twitter.com/7JfPSyAAJb
— Harika Dronavalli (@HarikaDronavali) August 23, 2017
However, the 26-year-old made a quick comeback as she defeated Eggleston in 43 moves to finish ninth overall in the tournament with 5.5 points out of nine games. She also collected two ELO points for her performance and was also adjudged as the best women’s player in the tournament.
