SUBHASH MISHRA
Dhanbad, April 19: Five rated players—Rajesh Kumar, Manish Sharma, Manideep Mukhi, Tanishk Kumar, and Shatrughan Singh—have emerged as joint leaders with 4.5 points each at the end of the fifth round of the Padma Bai Rungta Memorial West Singhbhum District Chess Championship. The tournament is being held at the Sitaram Rungta Recreation Hall of Town Club, Chaibasa.
In the fifth-round matches, Rajesh Kumar and Manideep Mukhi settled for a draw after an intense game on board one. Similarly, the match between Manish Sharma and Tanishk Kumar also ended in a draw. However, Shatrughan Singh, playing with the white pieces, defeated Vishwajeet Thakker to join the leading group in the title race.
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Earlier, in the fourth round held in the morning, Rajesh Kumar had beaten Kush Mudra, while Manish Sharma secured a win against Aditya Bardhan Sharma. The match between Kamal Kishore Devnath and Vishwa Thakker ended in a draw after a closely fought battle.
West Singhbhum District Chess Association General Secretary Basant Khandelwal announced that three more rounds will be played on the final day (Sunday), with the prize distribution ceremony scheduled to begin at 4 PM.
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International Arbiter Jayant Bhuyan, who is officiating as the chief arbiter, said the tournament has progressed peacefully so far, with no protests lodged by any players. He is being assisted by arbiters Juel Gagrai and Hursh Sharma.
