Grand Swiss: Keymer, Giri and Firouzja join Bluebaum in the lead

Open: Rating favourites prevail on the top boards

Round nine in Samarkand produced yet another reshuffle at the top of the standings, leaving four players tied for the lead on 6½/9 with just two rounds to go. Matthias Bluebaum, who had been sharing the lead with Nihal Sarin, drew a quiet game with Nodirbek Abdusattorov from the black side of an English Opening. The draw opened the door for the chasers to catch him, and several did.

On the top board, Alireza Firouzja faced Sarin with the Black pieces in a long, tense struggle. Nihal gained a promising position from an Alapin Sicilian and even unleashed a striking piece sacrifice that Firouzja later admitted he had “completely missed”. However, the Indian GM faltered after the first time control, and Firouzja pounced, eventually converting in what turned out to be an 82-move battle. The win brought the 2021 Grand Swiss winner back into joint first place.

Vincent Keymer joined Bluebaum and Firouzja at the top after scoring his second consecutive win, this time with black against Parham Maghsoodloo. The Iranian, who had led the tournament from rounds three to six, opted for a Réti setup but soon found himself under pressure. The game featured a number of sharp tactical moments, as Keymer navigated the complications better and emerged victorious, handing Maghsoodloo his second loss in a row.

The fourth co-leader is Anish Giri, who overcame his Dutch compatriot Jorden van Foreest in a Queen’s Gambit Declined. Van Foreest held out until the endgame, but Giri’s persistent pressure eventually told.

Anish Giri | Photo: Michal Walusza

Behind the four leaders lies a strong chasing pack of seven players on 6/9, still very much in contention for the two Candidates spots. Among them are Hans Niemann and Abhimanyu Mishra, who shared the point after a marathon battle. Niemann pressed deep into a bishop endgame with an extra pawn and tried everything to break hi compatriot’s defences, but the 16-year-old held firm and spotted a threefold repetition to claim the draw. With this result, Mishra has now gone 65 classical games unbeaten.

Further wins in the chasing group were scored by Arjun Erigaisi, who ended Sam Sevian’s unbeaten run in Samarkand by prevailing in a dramatic time scramble, French number two Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, who scored his third straight victory by defeating Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, and Yu Yangyi, who outplayed Marc’Andria Maurizzi.

Round ten promises high drama, as the four leaders meet head-to-head: Keymer will have white against Bluebaum, while Firouzja will have white against Giri.

Still in contention – Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Photo: Michal Walusza

Nihal 0-1 Firouzja

Analysis by GM Karsten Müller

In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
In this insightful video course, Grandmaster David Navara shares practical advice on when to calculate deeply in a position — and just as importantly, when not to.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Invisible moves

Alireza Firouzja | Photo: Michal Walusza

Maghsoodloo 0-1 Keymer

Analysis by Stefan Liebig

The final moments of the crucial game on board three | Photo: Michal Walusza

Standings after round 9

From Mating with a queen; a rook; two bishops; a knight and a bishop; to the basics of pawn endgames – here you will gain the necessary know-how to turn your endgame advantages into victories!

…116 players

All games

Women’s: Lagno still sole leader, as Assaubayeva misses chance

The women’s tournament continues to produce tense rounds and hard-fought battles. Kateryna Lagno remains the sole leader on 7/9, though only just.

Paired with Bibisara Assaubayeva on the top board, Lagno gained a small initiative out of a King’s Indian, but a series of inaccurate moves around move 20 left her a pawn down and fighting for survival. Assaubayeva was close to victory after the first time control but allowed Lagno to get counterplay with a single imprecise move. The Russian star escaped with a draw, keeping her nose in front.

Vaishali Rameshbabu and Song Yuxin drew a tense, balanced game that saw both sides miss chances before agreeing to a draw. Both now stand on 6½/9, half a point behind Lagno.

In this course, we will learn how to identify passively placed pieces in any given situation and how to improve their health by bringing them into active squares.

Song Yuxin playing black against Vaishali Rameshbabu | Photo: Michal Walusza

Tan Zhongyi, meanwhile, scored her third straight win by defeating Carissa Yip with black. After getting a positional advantage in the late middlegame, Yip faltered in the technical phase, allowing Tan to turn the tables and claim the point.

Among the winners was Irina Krush, who outplayed former women’s world champion Antoaneta Stefanova from the white side of an English Opening, capitalising on a serious middlegame blunder to win material and the game. Krush is now on 6/9, a point off the lead.

Mariya Muzychuk continued her uncompromising tournament, scoring a win over Anna Ushenina to move to 6/9 — still without a single draw.

The Muzychuk sisters played side by side, both with white – and both scored full points! | Photo: Michal Walusza

With two rounds to go, Lagno leads with 7 points, followed by Assaubayeva, Vaishali, Song and Tan on 6½. A group of players on 6 points, including Mariya Muzychuk and Krush, still have an outside shot at catching the leaders.

Round ten will feature crucial matchups: Lagno faces Tan on the top board with black, while Song has white against Assaubayeva and Vaishali plays white against Mariya Muzychuk.

Lagno ½-½ Assaubayeva

This DVD focuses on several types of material imbalances, such as Rook vs 2 Pieces, Queen vs 2 Rooks, and Queen vs Pieces.

Keteryna Lagno v. Bibisara Assaubayeva – Black still had a winning position at this point of the battle, emerging from a King’s Indian Defence | Photo: Michal Walusza

Standings after round 9

…56 players

All games

Links