Ibrahim Sultan, a player from the Dubai Chess and Culture Club, is sharing the lead in the Dubai Open Chess Tournament after securing his second victory yesterday in the 24th edition of the championship, which currently features 160 players from 40 countries. Sultan's second win came against Chinese player Pang Tao in the first category (A), in a match that lasted over three hours, despite a more than 300-point difference in international ratings between the players. He will face Turkish player Emre Can in the third round.
Meanwhile, the top-seeded player of the tournament, Indian Raunak Sadhwani, also achieved his second victory against his compatriot Rathanvil. A draw was established between Chinese player Yuanhe Zhao and Serbian player Ivić Filmer, while Filipino Oliver Diamclenq outperformed Azerbaijan's Safarli Tag and Egyptian Mohamed Ezzat drew with Chinese Li Di.
Nine players share the top position with two points, including Ibrahim Sultan, followed by 15 players with 1.5 points each from a win and a draw.
In the second category (B), Palestinian Raji Abu Azziza drew with Zambian Mulingua Daniel, Indian Pandi Sreeshti defeated former Arab champion Jordanian Bushra Al-She by, and Emirati Ahmed Farid achieved his second victory against Armenian Benjamin Gasparyan and will meet Kazakh Temirov Bakhit in the third round, while Emirati Salem Abdulrahim drew with Egyptian Mohamed Nimer.
