Indian women are on course for a chess medal as they scored an easy victory over Bangladesh to remain on joint top along with China after six rounds of the chess competition in the Asian Games in Guangzhou on Tuesday.
Harika Dronavalli settled for a draw against her lower-rated opponent Shamima Akter Liza in the first game before her three compatriots registered comfortable wins to guide India to a 3.5-0.5 victory.
Eesha Karavade did not have to sweat much to beat Sultana Sharmin while Meenakshi Subbaram and Nisha Mohota saw off Nazrana Khan and Masuda Begum in no time.
With three rounds to go, Indian women are on joint top with China on 11 points, three clear of joint third Uzbekistan and Vietnam, who are on eight each.
In the men's section, India drubbed Qatar 3.5-0.5 to be in the third position with eight points.
Grandmaster P Harikrishna gave India a 1-0 lead after beating Al-Modiahki Mohamad before Sasikiran Krishnan made it 2-0 with a win over Al-Sayed Mohammed.
Surya Sekhar Ganguly did not have to toil much to beat Nezad Husein Aziz and give India a 3-0 lead before G N Gopal drew with Al-Tamimi Hamad.
China and Philippines are above India on 12 and 10 points respectively in the table after six rounds. Three rounds are yet to be played.
