The opponents in the GMT-Masters neutralise each other
The first day of the final phase at the GMT-Masters produced no winners – in that sense it was a round for Lê Quang Liêm, who as the leader with a three-point lead is getting closer to his third tournament win in a row day by day. Against youngster Abhimanyu Mishra, Lê Quang Liêm was not entirely flawless, but in the final game he still managed to secure a draw despite being two pawns down on his opponent.
The opponents also neutralised each other in the other game of the day: Haik Martirosyan drew for the sixth time in his sixth classical game in Biel, this time against Praggnanandhaa. The Indian thus failed to put Lê under more pressure. Against the “king of draws” in Biel, Pragg couldn't find a way to gain any advantage.
GMT-Masters: Interim Ranking
|
Rank |
Name |
Games |
Classical |
Rapid |
Blitz |
Total |
|
1 |
GM LÊ Quang Liêm |
21 |
14 |
5 |
6 ½ |
25 ½ |
|
2 |
GM Haik MARTIROSYAN |
21 |
9 |
7 |
6 ½ |
22 ½ |
|
3 |
GM PRAGGNANANDHAA R |
21 |
8 ½ |
5 |
7 |
20 ½ |
|
4 |
GM Abhimanyu MISHRA |
21 |
14 |
4 |
2 ½ |
20 ½ |
|
5 |
GM Vincent KEYMER * |
20 |
8 ½ |
5 |
2 |
15 ½ |
|
6 |
GM Sam SHANKLAND * |
20 |
3 |
4 |
5 ½ |
12 ½ |
* not qualified for final phase
Salem Saleh in a class of his own
The GMT-Challengers already has a winner today: Salem Saleh, 31-year-old grandmaster from the United Arab Emirates. After his outstanding performance in Sunday's blitz in an excellent starting position, he has already seized the first opportunity today to go for the tournament win. Saleh gained a clear advantage against Vaishali Rameshbabu, who also, like him, played strongly in the classical games in Biel. The increasingly hard-pressed Vaishali was ultimately unable to save herself to the 40th move, which would have given her a further hour's thinking time, and had to resign in time trouble.
Salem Saleh is therefore the first winner of the Biel GMT-Challengers. With this new format, the organisers have created a second invitational tournament that offers a platform below the GMT-Masters for promising up-and-coming women or juniors who could still go a long way but have not yet quite reached the level required for the GMT-Masters. With Salem Saleh, a player of a different calibre was crowned: a loyal guest at the Biel Chess Festival, who honoured the watchmaking city for the tenth time this year.
GMT-Challengers: Interim Ranking
|
Rank |
Name |
Games |
Classical |
Rapid |
Blitz |
Total |
|
1 |
GM Salem SALEH |
21 |
19 |
6 |
9 |
34 |
|
2 |
GM Alexander DONCHENKO |
20 |
11 |
7 |
5 |
23 |
|
3 |
GM VAISHALI Rameshbabu |
21 |
15 |
5 |
2 ½ |
22 ½ |
|
4 |
GM Jonas BJERRE * |
20 |
9 ½ |
5 |
3 |
17 ½ |
|
5 |
GM Marc'Andria MAURIZZI * |
20 |
3 |
4 |
5 ½ |
12 ½ |
|
6 |
GM Ihor SAMUNENKOV * |
20 |
1 ½ |
3 |
5 |
9 ½ |
* not qualified for final phase
MTO: Mendonca's chasing pack is getting bigger
Leon Luke Mendonca continues to lead the Master Tournament MTO in Biel by half a point. However, after his second draw in a row, today against Arseniy Nesterov, the number of his immediate pursuers has increased. Seven players are now lurking behind him, tied on 6 points. A further half point behind is the best woman in the tournament, IM Bibisara Assaubayeva.
ATO & WTO: Nasybullina takes the lead in the general tournament
WIM Alfia Nasybullina took the sole lead in the Amateur Tournament ATO with a win on board 1. The Kazakh no. 1 seed defeated Noh Jinwoo from South Korea in today's top match and now has 6 ½ points after seven rounds. She is followed by Mikhail L Kulikov with 6 points.
The second of five rounds was played this morning in the two Weeks' Tournaments.
Outlook: Last chance for Praggnanandhaa and Mishra
Nothing has been decided yet: All four players in the final phase of the GMT-Masters can still win the tournament. But for Praggnanandhaa and Mishra, who are on equal points third and fourth in the standings, a win is a must! It's in their favour that they can both play tomorrow with the advantage of the white pieces. Pragg will face leader Lê Quang Liêm in the top match between the two highest rated players – with a win against the Vietnamese player, anything is still possible for Pragg! In the second match of the GMT-Masters, Abhimanyu Mishra takes on Haik Martirosyan, who continues to play extremely solidly.
The winner of the GMT-Challengers has already been decided, but not yet the order on the podium. In the battle for second place, the two candidates will meet directly tomorrow: Alexander Donchenko will play against Vaishali Rameshbabu. Vaishali, who is half a point behind Donchenko, will have to play for victory to keep her chance of second place. Especially as Donchenko could score another point against Salem Saleh in the last game of the GMT-Challengers the day after tomorrow.
Beauty Award MTO, ATO
Every day, the best games from MTO and ATO are voted for on social media.
Winner MTO RD7: Zachary Saine (2058) vs. Vemparala Nikash (2150) 1-0
Winner ATO RD6: Friedrich Günther Klas (1750) vs. Ieremia Hottinger (1523) 1-0
Games of the winners:
https://www.bielchessfestival.ch/Tournaments/Open-Tournaments/ISF-Beauty-Awards.html
Pictures of the Biel International Chess Festival are available under the following link:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/143150736@N02/collections/72157722912417534/
On the evening of each day of the Festival, the OC sends out a media report on the day's events.