Grandmaster Wesley So halved the point with less-fancied GM Baskaran Adhiban of India in the sixth round yesterday but still remained in the solo lead of the Tata Steel Masters 2017 in Wijk aan Zee, Netherlands.
So drew with Adhiban after 39 moves of a King’s Gambit Accepted to slightly improve to 4.5 points on three wins and three draws.
The Cavite-born So was only half a point ahead closest pursuers reigning world champion GM Magnus Carlsen of Norway and GM Pavel Eljanov of Ukraine, who also drew their respective matches.
Carlsen split the point with GM Levon Aronian of Armenia, while Eljanov agreed to a draw with Russian GM Sergey Karjakin.
So next faces Eljanov in the crucial seventh round where a loss would boot the Filipino woodpusher atop the standings.