Parimarjan splits point again, Kateryna maintains lead

New Delhi, Dec 21 (UNI) Parimarjan Negi continues to grope for his first win against WGM Kateryna Lahno and the Ukrainian beauty with brain hangs on to her one-point lead over the local favourite after the fifth round match of the Amity Grandmasters Challenge too petered out to a drab draw here today.

The fourth draw in five games meant Kateryna, the 2005 European Women's champion, leads the 18-round battle of wits 3-2.

After one more game under FIDE time control, the focus will now be on the rapid and blitz games to be held from Saturday.

In the final game under FIDE time control Parimarjan will have the advantage of playing white.

Parimarjan's hunt for the elusive victory continued for the fifth day running as Kateryna continued to prove to be a very tough nut to crack. For a change, the surprise element in the game was in Parimarjan's favour as he unleashed the Spanish opening, instead of his usual Sicilian for the first time in the match but Kateryna was hardly surprised.

''It was not exactly a surprise, I was expecting this opening from Parimarjan, it was just a matter of when it would surface'', Kateryna said soon after the game.

Kateryna was little unsure in the early stages and that showed in the ensuing middle game. However, the thing favouring the Ukrainian was again something that has been bothering Parimarjan since day one of the match -- the clock.

Kateryna lost a pawn but the position offered a lot of possibilities to convert to a level endgame that she precisely achieved at the first opportunity and peace was signed in an opposite coloured Bishops endgame after 66 moves.

''I contemplated a lot as to where to put my pieces in the early middle game and used up a lot of time'', rued Parimarjan, adding that he would do better with more time left for the final stages of the game.

When asked about his favourite format -- the FIDE time control -- coming to an end, Parimarjan was all smiles and said, ''It's not that I don't like faster version, just that I do not have much experience in that. Anyway. I will try to equalise tomorrow and see how the match unfolds.'' UNI AY SK GC2012