AN ALMOST four-hour battle between Shiv Nandalall and junior player Joshua Khan highlighted the opening round of the Second GAICO Construction Grand Prix chess tournament, which got underway on Thursday and concluded with a few games yesterday at the National Racquet Centre.

Khan, a former national junior champion, and his senior counterpart settled for a draw, but the match had proved to be a battle of wits.

Nandalall, who played white, attacked early in the match, forcing Khan to play the Sicilian dragon; but the senior could not keep up the pressure and eventually over-calculated his attacks. As a result he struggled for a draw.

The tournament, which has three juniors, also had Ethan Lee accepting a draw from senior player Loris Nathoo in his second attempt.

One of the biggest upsets in the first round happened yesterday when Berbician Steve Leung got past the talented Justino DaSilva.

As the 22 players settle into the second and third rounds today, former national senior champion CM Taffin Khan, CM Ronuel Greenidge, Roberto Neto, Davion Mars, Errol Tiwari, Rai Sharma, Arian Roopnarine, Leung and fellow Berbician Dane Grimond will look to build on their opening victories.

Rounds four and five will be played on Tuesday and Thursday respectively, with the final two rounds billed for next Sunday.