A draw in the top match of the Masters Tournament MTO
In the Biel Master Tournament MTO, there was a direct duel today between the first and second-placed players, who are also the two strongest players in the tournament in terms of rating. The Indian compatriots Aryan Chopra and Leon Luke Mendonca drew. With this result, Mendonca remains the sole leader, while grandmasters Sasikiran Krishnan and Arseniy Nesterov, who won their games today, are closing the gap on Aryan Chopra and are all half a point behind Mendonca on 5 ½ points. The best Swiss players have earned 4 points in seven rounds so far: FM Moritz Collin, Romain Gemelli and FM Bruno Kamber.
Leon Luke Mendonca
Amateur Tournament ATO: A new trio at the top
In the Amateur Tournament ATO, a trio replaces the previous leader WCM Anna Andrzejewska. She lost her game against WIM Alfia Nasybullina (KAZ), who together with Noh Jinwoo from Korea and the Swiss Felix Meshach now lead the table with 5.5 out of 6 possible points.
Outlook: The decisive phase in the grandmaster triathlons begins
The final phase of the two Grandmaster Triathlons in Biel begins on Tuesday, in which the best players will determine the winners over the next three days in classical games. In the GMT-Masters, leader Lê Quang Liêm has the opportunity to play with white in the first game and will face the nominally least strong player, Abhimanyu Mishra. In the games played so far, the two have proved to be the strongest players in the classical cadence. With a win, the Vietnamese player would take an important step towards winning the tournament. On the other board, Haik Martirosyan and Praggnanandhaa will duel. In order to jeopardise Lê's position, they both have to play for victory. Can Pragg take the momentum from the blitz games, where he was the strongest player with 7/10, and prove that he has not yet written off the tournament victory? Or will Martirosyan, who has drawn all his classical games so far, hold his own?
Salem Saleh and Vaishali Rameshbabu meet in the GMT-Challengers. Vaishali needs a win to keep a chance of winning the tournament, a task that won't be any easier for her with the disadvantage of the black pieces. If, on the other hand, Salem Saleh does not lose, he can celebrate his early victory in the GMT-Challengers.
GMT-Masters: Interim Ranking
|
Rank |
Name |
Games |
Classical |
Rapid |
Blitz |
Total |
|
1 |
GM LÊ Quang Liêm |
20 |
12 ½ |
5 |
6 ½ |
24 |
|
2 |
GM Haik MARTIROSYAN |
20 |
7 ½ |
7 |
6 ½ |
21 |
|
3 |
GM PRAGGNANANDHAA R |
20 |
7 |
5 |
7 |
19 |
|
4 |
GM Abhimanyu MISHRA |
20 |
12 ½ |
4 |
2 ½ |
19 |
|
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
GMT-Challengers: Interim Ranking
|
Rank |
Name |
Games |
Classical |
Rapid |
Blitz |
Total |
|
1 |
GM Saleh Salem |
20 |
15 |
6 |
9 |
30 |
|
2 |
GM Alexander DONCHENKO |
20 |
11 |
7 |
5 |
23 |
|
3 |
GM VAISHALI Rameshbabu |
20 |
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
Another round will take place tomorrow in all open multi-day tournaments: The eighth in the MTO, the seventh in the ATO and the second in the weeks' tournaments.
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.