Indian No 2 Grand Master P Harikrishna began his campaign at the Geneva FIDE Grand Prix on an impressive note with a win over Russian Grand Master Alexander Riazantsev on Friday.
Riazantsev, who was playing with white pieces, proved to be a tough competitor for Harikrishna at the start of the game but the Indian GM turned things around with his attacking moves.
Post the 84-move game, speaking about his tactics, Harikrishna noted, “It was a long game and I had better positions from the initial moments, but it was not easy as my opponent defended commendably. Though it was not enough for him as I kept attacking and the hard work paid off eventually.”
Harikrishna’s opponent in the second-round game is English Grand Master Michael Adams.
Asked to make an observation about having to play Adams, Harikrishna said, “Even though I have a positive score against him, I know he’s a very strong player and I will hope to put in a good performance and play a good game today as well.”
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