Harika, the World No. 14, who had looked solid till now, ran into time trouble after a smart opening and ended up giving away a point.
"I was in a good position at the beginning but I consumed too much time in the middle game," conceded Harika.
"With the clock ticking away, I made one final mistake which proved to be my undoing," she added.
The Indian star is currently 40th on the table but just one and a half points behind leader Anish Giri with three wins and one draw.
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