FM Jaiveer Mahendru emerged as the sole leader of the Asian Junior Open Classical Chess Championship after defeating International Master Aaditya Dhingra in the fourth round at the ITC Maratha Sheraton in Mumbai.
Rated 2326, Jaiveer produced a major upset against the higher-rated Dhingra (2403) to maintain a perfect 4/4 score. He now holds a half-point lead over a four-player chasing group comprising top seed IM Mayank Chakraborty of India, IM Artem Pingin of Russia, FM Amanmuhammet Hommadov of Turkmenistan and FM Sharnarthi Viresh of India, all on 3.5 points.
Guru Prakash, rated 2113, continued his impressive campaign by holding FM Madhvendra Pratap Sharma (2363) to a draw, further enhancing his reputation as one of the tournament’s surprise performers.
In the Girls Championship, top seed WFM Pratitee Bordoloi of India defeated Shivamshika G to remain unbeaten and perfect on 4/4. She was joined at the top by WCM Shohradova Leyla of Turkmenistan, who defeated previously unbeaten Pranavasri S.
WFM Mariya Kholyavko of Kazakhstan and FM Prishita Gupta of India are close behind on 3.5 points after securing victories over WFM Nivedita V C and WCM Akshaya Sathi respectively.
With the tournament entering its decisive stages, both championships remain tightly contested, with several leading players still in contention for the titles.
