Dubai: Blitz champion Gawain Jones of England and Boris Savchenko of Russia beat their respective seventh round opponents to catch up with Vladimir Akopian of Armenia and Ivan Sokolov of The Netherlands, respectively, in a four-way tie for the lead in the home stretch of the Dubai Open Chess Championship at the Dubai Chess Club in Dubai.
Jones, who won the blitz tournament last Friday, crushed the Classical Caro-Kann defense of International Master M. Thejkumar of India in 82 moves of a same color Bishop and pawn end game. Savchenko declined the Queen’s Gambit of GM B. Adhiban of India and won the Rook and pawn endgame in a marathon 92 moves. Jones and Savchenko have six points each together with co-leaders Sokolov and Akopian, who drew in 31 moves of the latter’s Slav Defense as they reached an equal Knight and pawn endgame.
Eight players follow in a tie with 5.5 points each, namely GM S.P. Sethuraman and IM Shardul Gagare of India, Mustafa Yilmaz of Turkey, Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan, Levan Pantsulaia of Georgia, Alexandr Fier of Brazil, Pouria Darini of Iran and Lazaro Bruzon Batista of Cuba.
Sethuraman and Gagarle drew in 53 moves of a French Defense. Yilmaz smashed the King’s India Defense of compatriot Cemil Can Ali Marandi. Safarli used the Trompovsky attack but could only draw with Pantsulaia in 35 moves.
Bruzon employed the Sicilian Defense to beat GM Deepan Chakkravarty of India in 48 moves. Fier essayed the English opening to outplay Dinara Saduakassova of Kazakhstan in 42 moves. Darini drew with top seed Ivan Cheparinov of Bulgaria in 24 moves of a Sicilian Najdorf.
A record 189 players from 37 countries are competing in the nine-round Swiss System tournament. A strong field of 46 Grandmasters, 8 Woman Grandmasters, 39 International Masters, 5 Woman International Masters, 22 FIDE Masters and 2 Woman FIDE Masters are participating. Top prize is $13,000 (Dh47,748) out of a total of $50,000 in cash prizes up to 15th place with special prizes for best in category.
