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Kidambi holds GM Baburin

National junior champion Sunder Rajan Kidambi (6) from Madras played a steady game to hold second seed Grandmaster Alexander Baburin (6) of Ireland to a draw in the tenth round of the British Chess Championship being played in Scarborough.

Kidambi now has a 10-game IM norm after this game.

Top seed GM Julian Hodgson (8.5) leads the field by a full point and needs just a draw in the eleventh and final round to clinch the title.

Hodgson, playing black, survived some anxious moments before drawing a marathon game with Scottish IM Jonathan Rowson (7).

In an all-Indian-affair, national champion K.Shashikiran (6.5) drew his encounter with IM Abhijit Kunte (6.5) with black pieces.Shashi employed Caro-kan defence and got a slight plus from the opening.

Abhijit defended well and both the players agreed to split the point after 36 moves.

GM Pravin Thipsay (6.5) scored a fighting win over lowly-rated M Broomfield (5.5) of England in Sicilian defence. Broomfield had equalised in the opening and played well to bring an equal endgame. He, however, came under severe time pressure and blundered pawn to gift Thipsay a full point.

Britain's top woman player WGM Harrie Hunt (6.5) scored a brilliant victory over IM V Saravanan (5.5) in Naidorf variation of Sicilian defence. Hunt, playing black, played a beautiful combination to win a piece and the game.

IWM Anupama Gokhale (5) defeated higher-rated Oliver Jackson (4) of England while the other two IWMs Koneru Humpy (4.5) and Bhagyashree Thipsay (3) lost to FM Simon Knott (5.5) and Meloni Buckley (4) of England respectively.

GM P.Wells (7.5) defeated GM C. Ward (6.5) to jump into the second position.

IM Zia Ur Rahman (7.5) of Bangladesh defeated GM John Emms (6.5) of England to join Wells on secont spot. Zia got a 10 game GM norm.

Important results of the tenth and penultimate round:
IM J. Rowson (7) Sco drew GM J Hodgson (8.5) Eng
IM Zia Rahman (7.5) Ban beat GM J Emms (6.5) Eng
IM D Gormally (7) Eng drew GM A Kosten (7) Eng
GM P Wells (7.5) Eng beat GM C. Ward (6.5) Eng
IM A. Kunte (6.5) Ind drew IM Shashikiran (6.5) Ind
GM A.Baburin (6) Irl drew S Kidambi (6) Ind
GM P Thipsay (6.5) Ind beat Broomfield (5.5) Eng
FM S. Knott (5.5) Eng beat IWM K. Humpy (4.5) Ind
IWM A.Gokhale (5) Ind beat O Jackson (4) Eng
IWM B.Thipsay (3) Ind lost to M. Buckley (3) Eng

UNI