Asian Chess C'ships: WGM Srija Seshadri takes solo lead after six rounds

India's WGM Srija Seshadri took the solo lead at the 2025 Asian Continental Chess Championships in the women's event on Monday.

Seshadri beat IM Anastasia Bodnaruk with the white pieces for her second consecutive win in the sixth round of play. She currently has 5.5 points out of six.

Seshadri has been unbeaten in the tournament so far with five wins and a solitary draw against GM Olga Girya in the fourth round.

The Chess Olympiad winner IM Vantika Agrawal follows Seshadri close behind and has 5 points after six rounds of play for joint second position. She beat WIM Afruza Khamdamova in the sixth round.

In the open section, Indian Grandmaster Murali Karthikeyan suffered a loss with the black pieces at the hands of GM Bardiya Daneshvar of Iran in the sixth round.

The loss meant that Murali lost his joint lead and slipped down to joint-third in the standings with 4.5 points in six rounds. Meanwhile, the win helped Daneshvar take solo lead in the tournament with 5.5 points.

It was the Indian's first loss of the tournament. He'll next take on GM Sergei Lobanov in the seventh round.

Elsewhere, IM Harshavardhan GB climbed up the standings with an upset win over GM Karthik Venkataraman with the white pieces.

Harshavardhan now has 4.5 points in six rounds and is unbeaten in the competition.

Among the other notable results, Nihal Sarin got the better off China's Yihan Meng with the black pieces, Surya Ganguly beat IM Jan Garcia, and Leon Mendonca drew with IM Mukhammadzokhid Suyarov.