Equal first. 30.000!

Morning Round 7.30 am

Again rupees, so about $AUS350. My morning round was against the formidable Russian GM, Aleksandr Fominyh who I have already had the pleasure of playing about 10 years ago in Spain, twice. We won one game each and our score is still level. I had an advantage for most of the game but 34 Rd7 was a blunder leading to a draw. Rh7 immediately would have retained an edge and since he was very short of time, my chances would have been good as the position is hard to defend. Anyway, an exciting fighting game.

Afternoon round 10

This was a must-win situation so I played a risky line gambling that my opponent would not be familiar with it. The risk paid off and I won quite easily. The round started rather late as the electricity in Ilam was not working again so a generator had to be used. Nice sound for the final round.  

Closing Ceremony

The reason we had to start so early was so the prize-giving could start on time. Well, technical difficulties delayed it by about two hours anyway. What a surprise! :-)

Five players tied for first with 8/10 points. GM Alexandr Fominyh won the tiebreak. I came in fourth which suited me fine as the money was shared equally and only the first three got a huge trophy.

A more comprehensive report is planned when I get to a better internet connection. Thanks for following and stay tuned for a few days of tourism in Nepal.