Al Ain: GM Gaioz Nigalidze of Georgia grabbed the sole lead of the Al Ain Classic Chess Championship at the Hili Rayhaan by Rotana hotel on 4.5 points.
The 25-year-old, last year’s Georgian national champion, turned back the Queen’s Gambit of Indian GM Abhijeet Gupta, while the other leading contenders all drew their fifth-round games to allow him to surge ahead at the halfway mark of the nine-round Swiss System event.
Fifteen players are half-a-point behind — top seed Yuriy Kryvoruchko, Yuriy Kuzubov, Mikhailo Oleksienko, Vladimir Onischuk, Alexander Kovchan and Martyn Kravtsiv of Ukraine, Indian GMs G.N. Gopal, Sandipan Chanda and Deep Sengupta, Sergei Zhigalko of Belarus, Tigran Petrosian and Levon Babujian of Armenia, Samuel Shankland of the US, Russian Sergey Volkov and Romanian Mircea-Emilian Parligras.
There were five decisive games among the lead pack, including Chanda beating Ulvi Bajarani of Azerbaijan in a marathon 78 moves of a Ruy Lopez game.
Volkov crushed the Slav Defence of IM Zaur Mammadov of Azerbaijan in 45 moves, while Kravtsiv beat GM Sundar Shyam of India in 33 moves of another Ruy Lopez game.
Parligras smashed the Bogo-Indian Defence of untitled player Shah Sagar of India with a mating net in 33 moves and Babujan used the Modern Benoni defence against Andrey Baryshpolets of Ukraine to force resignation on the 30th move.
Compatriots Kryvoruchko and Onischuk drew after 30 moves of a Caro Kann Defense and Kuzubov used the Sicilian Defence to draw with Gopal in 44 moves.
Sengupta used the French Defence and drew with Zhigalko in 38 moves as Petrosian used the Dutch Defence to draw with Oleksienko in a marathon 73 moves.
Kovchan and Shankland drew after the requisite 27 moves of a Four Knights Game. According to regulations, draw offers are not allowed before 25 moves.
Twenty-two players are in striking distance on 3.5 points each.
