Zia slumps to third place

Grand Master Ziaur Rahman slipped to third position after losing the eighth round game against Indian GM Sandipan Chanda in the 3rd Kolkata Open Grandmasters Chess tournament at the Gorky Sadan in Kolkata yesterday.
Zia, who shared the lead after the seventh round, played with black pieces and took Modern defence before losing at 39 moves.
GM Krishnan Sasikiran, GM Koneru Humpy and GM Sandipan Chanda of India and GM Viktor Laznicka of Czech Republic were sharing lead with 6.5 points each.
Zia shared the third spot along with nine other players including his teammate GM Abdullah Al Rakib, who drew with GM Tejas Bakre of India, with 5.5 points.
GM Niaz Murshed and IM Enamul Hossain Rajib bagged five points each, FM Sheikh Nasir Ahmed earned four points, FM Minhazuddin Ahmed, FM Taibur Rahman, Mohammad Javed and FM Mehdi Hasan Parag secured 3.5 points.
In the other 8th round games, Niaz drew with GM Smbat Lputian of Armenia, Rajib drew with Rolando Nolte of Philippines, Nasir beat Sagar Shah of India, Sagar drew with Bitan Banerjee of India, Taibur beat Abhratanu Dutta of India, Parag beat Anuprita Patil of India and Javed lost to IM RR Laxman of India.