A sole leader with two rounds to go
The 31st Abu Dhabi International Chess Festival is taking place in Abu Dhabi from 15 to 24 August 2025, held under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Nahyan bin Zayed Al Nahyan. Among the festival’s various events, the Masters Tournament is the flagship competition, attracting strong international participation.
The Masters Tournament is open to all FIDE-rated players with a published standard rating of 2300 ELO and above as of 1 August 2025, with the exception of members of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club. The event follows a 9-round Swiss system, played at a classical time control of 90 minutes per player plus a 30-second increment from move one, with a 15-minute tolerance for late arrivals.
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The total prize fund for the Masters stands at 55,000 USD. The first prize is to be awarded outright, while prizes from second to fifteenth place will be distributed according to the Hort System. Tiebreaks will be resolved in the following order:
- Direct Encounter
- Buchholz (Cut 1)
- Buchholz (Cut 2)
- Sonneborn-Berger
- ARCO (Cut 1)
Tournament progress
After seven rounds, GM Zeng Chongsheng (China, age 32) leads the standings as the sole leader with 6 points. Entering the competition as the 15th seed, Zeng made an excellent start with five consecutive wins, all against lower-rated opponents. He then drew against his compatriot Xue Haowen and against Arkadij Naiditsch, maintaining both his undefeated record and his position at the top.
Close behind Zeng is a group of eight players on 5½ points, including three members of the original top-ten seeds:
- Arkadij Naiditsch (2nd seed, now representing Bulgaria)
- Denis Lazavik (6th seed, Belarus)
- Bartosz Socko (9th seed, Poland)
Facing the Sicilian doesn’t have to be complicated. The Alapin Variation (1.e4 c5 2.c3) offers a simple yet highly effective solution to all major Sicilian lines, by sidestepping them with 2.c3. Whether your opponent plays the Najdorf, Taimanov, or Dragon, the Alapin lets you take control of the game as early as move two.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 2…g6
In the eighth round, Zeng will face Lazavik with the black pieces in what promises to be a critical encounter for the final standings. The last two rounds are scheduled for Saturday 23 August and Sunday 24 August.
The playing hall during round seven | Photo: Aditya Sur Roy
Videos by ChessBase India
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Standings after round 7
| 1 | GM | Zeng, Chongsheng | 2553 | 6 | 0 | |
| 2 | GM | Lazavik, Denis | 2584 | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 3 | GM | Xue, Haowen | 2535 | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 4 | GM | Naiditsch, Arkadij | 2604 | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 5 | GM | Socko, Bartosz | 2574 | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 6 | GM | Aditya, Mittal | 2560 | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 7 | IM | Mayank, Chakraborty | 2452 | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 8 | GM | Bharath, Subramaniyam H | 2562 | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 9 | IM | Tsaruk, Maksim | 2470 | 5,5 | 0 | |
| 10 | GM | Sjugirov, Sanan | 2636 | 5 | 0 | |
| 11 | IM | Stribuk, Artiom | 2474 | 5 | 0 | |
| 12 | IM | Pingin, Artem | 2456 | 5 | 0 | |
| 13 | GM | Grebnev, Aleksey | 2595 | 5 | 0 | |
| 14 | GM | Tin, Jingyao | 2579 | 5 | 0 | |
| 15 | GM | Makhnev, Denis | 2540 | 5 | 0 | |
| 16 | GM | Prraneeth, Vuppala | 2458 | 5 | 0 | |
| 17 | GM | Siddharth, Jagadeesh | 2458 | 5 | 0 | |
| 18 | GM | Iniyan, Pa | 2586 | 5 | 0 | |
| 19 | IM | Amilal, Munkhdalai | 2410 | 5 | 0 | |
| 20 | GM | Wan, Yunguo | 2501 | 5 | 0 | |
| 21 | IM | Aswath, S | 2500 | 5 | 0 | |
| 22 | IM | Raczek, Krzysztof | 2487 | 5 | 0 | |
| 23 | IM | Urazayev, Arystanbek | 2490 | 5 | 0 | |
| 24 | IM | Khubukshanov, Erdem | 2489 | 5 | 0 | |
| 25 | IM | Dau, Khuong Duy | 2462 | 5 | 0 |
