GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov now leads the London Chess Classic Elite Tournament by two points with two rounds to go after beating GM Luke McShane for a sixth win in a row. The remaining games were drawn, with second-placed GM Alireza Firouzja frustrated by GM Nikita Vitiugov, while little of note happened in GM Nikolas Theodorou vs. GM Sam Shankland and GM Abhimanyu Mishra vs. GM Pavel Eljanov.
GMs Gawain Maroroa Jones and Michael Adams both missed winning chances in a topsy-turvy clash, while GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu goes into the final round of the Open with a half-point lead after beating GM David Gavrilescu.
The eighth round of the Elite Tournament starts Thursday, December 4, at 11:00 a.m. ET / 17:00 CET / 9:30 p.m. IST.
Round 7 Results
Standings After Round 7
Abdusattorov 1-0 McShane
It almost goes without saying by this stage that Abdusattorov won again, with his sixth win in a row meaning he’s now gained 19.8 rating points in London, wiping out the 18.4-point loss he suffered while crashing out of the 2025 FIDE World Cup.
The 21-year-old Uzbek number-one felt McShane was “well-prepared but trying to hide it,” in an Anti-Berlin, but when Abdusattorov picked up a pawn he cruised to victory. There were ways for Black to put up more resistance, but in a practical game it was always going to be tough to hold on.
While Abdusattorov has racked up six wins, only one other player has more than one. That’s Firouzja, who must win against his great rival in the penultimate round to prolong any remaining intrigue in the tournament.
Vitiugov ½-½ Firouzja
Firouzja was unable to pick up a third win in London despite getting chances against Vitiugov, who explained: “I think I got quite a comfortable position out of the opening but then quickly misplayed it simply because I don’t feel these positions like Alireza does, and it was just a free lesson for me—not completely free, because I was suffering for a couple of hours, but everything valuable comes at a price!”
It was just a free lesson for me—not completely free, because I was suffering for a couple of hours, but everything valuable comes at a price!
—Nikita Vitiugov
Firouzja took over in a Sicilian after 16.Bxc4?!, which Vitiugov called “such a sloppy decision,” but there was never any clear-cut win for Black, and the advantage fizzled out on move 23.
Firouzja can still breathe some life back into the tournament, but only if he beats Abdusattorov in round eight.
Maroroa Jones ½-½ Adams
By far the liveliest of the draws came in the all-English clash between Adams and Maroroa Jones, who commented of the opening, “It went as well as a Vienna possibly could!” When he got to push 23.e6 he said he got excited, since he thought he was winning.
In fact Black was OK, but only after 23…Rxe6!. Instead Adams noted, “I just missed e6 and I thought, OK, what to do? You have to carry on and hope for the best!” He opted for 23…Bxe6? and White was winning, but not for long. The critical moment came three moves later, when 26.Qc2! and then the right knight jump would win.
Maroroa Jones saw the right first move, if not the follow-up, and commented, “I was about to play Qc2 but there were some distractions in the playing hall.” Adams concurred, explaining, “There was some disagreement in one of the games—a very loud argument and it went on a long time.” 26.Nh5? followed and Adams got chances to take over with Black before the game ultimately ended peacefully just before the time control.
The remaining two games were much less eventful.
Mishra ½-½ Eljanov
Eljanov went for a line of the Queen’s Gambit Declined that’s often been considered the Berlin of 1.d4—a very solid opening where Black has to suffer but can also get chances to take over if White overpresses. There were some interesting details in the game, including a cute sacrifice at the finish, but neither side ever got a clear-cut chance for a win.
That was an epic game, however, compared to the first of the round to finish.
Theodorou ½-½ Shankland
The most dramatic moment of this clash was Shankland incorrectly claiming a draw by repetition (“I don’t know how to count to three!”) as the players wrapped things up in 11 moves. Shankland had lost his previous two games, and said of the second loss, to Abdusattorov: “I got the biggest advantage with White I can ever remember getting in the last couple of years against Nodirbek, and proceeded to get crushed!”
I got the biggest advantage with White I can ever remember getting in the last couple of years against Nodirbek, and proceeded to get crushed!
—Sam Shankland
Shankland told himself it was fine to make a solid draw with Black, and that’s what he did, saying his 4…c5! “kills the variation” and explaining that he’d learned when seconding GM Magnus Carlsen for a world championship match against GM Viswanathan Anand that the Reti (1.Nf3) can be made toothless with exact move-orders.
Theodorou didn’t sound so convinced that the opening was worked out, but he had no problem with the draw that kept him on 50 percent, three points behind the runaway leader.
So Abdusattorov will win the Elite Tournament on Thursday with a draw or win—after a rest day on Wednesday—but the FIDE Open ends on Wednesday. Top-seed Praggnanandhaa leads by half a point as he racks up one of the open events he needs to be able to count all his scores for the FIDE Circuit, his path to the 2026 FIDE Candidates Tournament.
The Indian star admitted he’d realized he was losing when he offered a draw against GM Velimir Ivic in round seven, while in round eight he grabbed his fifth win, this time over Gavrilescu. The final conversion, maneuvering his queen with checks to exchange it on a7, was nice!
Praggnanandhaa has Black against GM Ilya Smirin in the final round.
How to review?
The 2025 XTX Markets London Chess Classic is a 10-player round-robin taking place November 26-December 5, 2025, at the Emirates Stadium. The time control is 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 more minutes for the rest of the game, with a 30-second increment per move starting on move one.
Previous Coverage:
