Top-seed V. Pranav (7.5 points) of Tamil Nadu, making a strong bid to clinch the title, playing on the top board with white pieces, registered a well-earned win over overnight joint leader and ninth seed AIM Kaushik G. Iyer (7 points) in 50 moves and emerged as the sole leader after eight rounds, at the end of the penultimate day of the All-India U-15 (boys & girls) FIDE Rating Open Chess Tournament, conducted by Mysore Chess Club here yesterday. Three players, Kaushik Iyer (Karnataka), Tejas Suresh Kumar (Karnataka) and Thiyagarajan Tamilselvi (Tamil Nadu) are tied with seven points each from eight rounds and are placed second, third and fourth respectively in the placings. In the second board, overnight joint leader Jinan Joman (6 points) of Kerala faltered in his end game and was shocked by Karnataka's Tejas Suresh Kumar in a keen tussle for supremacy.
