Playing after a rare two successive losses, Gupta regained his composure and his efforts proved fruitful.
However, he is still way behind in the standings and now has an uphill task at hands to make a comeback. The former world junior champion currently has three points from five rounds.
With four games still remaining, Maxime Vachier Lagrave of France held on to his slender half point lead after surviving a draw with Daniel Fridman of Germany. The French Grandmaster took his tally to 4.5 points out of a possible five and is now trailed by Sergei Tiviakov of Holland, Mihail Marin of Romania, Gabriel Sargissian of Armenia, Gawain Jones of England, Anatoly Vaisser of France and Fridman, all of whom have four points each.
The 18000 pounds sterling tournament is surely going to witness some exciting chess in the second half.
Both Indians in the fray -- Gupta and D Harika -- have three points after the latter played out an easy draw as black with Elina L'Ami of Romania.
There is still much hard work to do but another win would take the Indians within striking distance of the leaders.
Gupta played his second white in a row and faced an irregular variation from Cox in the Queen pawn game. The English player had a decent opening and middle game but Gupta patiently waited for his chance that came with a knight manoeuvre on the queen side.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
