(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Chinthana Wasala |
The Peninsula
Doha, Qatar: India's Arjun Erigaisi became the sole leader at the conclusion of the penultimate round of the Qatar Masters Open 2023 while the World No.1 and pre-tournament favourite Magnus Carlsen is virtually out of the title race.
Erigaisi topped the standings with his fifth win at the Lusail Multipurpose Hall yesterday, this time against David Paravyan. The 20-year-old World No. 29, Erigaisi, playing with white pieces, wrapped up the victory in 48 moves. Erigaisi has 6.5 points as he stands tall as the top contender for the Qatar Masters Open title with just one round remaining.
It was a different story for the five-time world champion Carlsen who was eyeing back-to-back Qatar Masters titles.
Carlsen, who faced a hard time in the previous round against Indian player Murali Karthikeyan, defeating American contender Gregory Kaidanov to boost his score to 5.5 points and secure the 13th position, but the title is virtually out of his reach despite his resurgence.
Karthikeyan yesterday held his compatriot and overnight leader SL Narayanan, as both of them remained on 6.0 points, keeping their title hopes alive.
Despite the draw, Karthikeyan remained optimistic as the championship approaches its climax.
“I was unlucky in today's confrontation and I was close to winning, but luck was not on my side in the final stages. I believe that all the players in the top 7 positions still have chances to win the title, and I will try to put in more effort so that I can win tomorrow's match,” Karthikeyan said.
Uzbekistan's Javokhir Sindarov and Nodirbek Yakubboev are also on 6.0 points after the duo played out a draw in the eighth round.
Their compatriot Nodirbek Abdusattorov beat Jakhongir Vakhidov in another all-Uzbek contest yesterday to join the challenging pack after taking his tally to 6 points, along with American chess ace Hikaru Nakamura. Nakamura, third in the global rankings, secured a crucial victory against his Indian counterpart, Pranav Venkatesh, seeded 27th. The triumph placed Nakamura in fourth position as he maintained his shot at clinching the championship title.
Yesterday's defeat against Erigaisi left the Russian national Paravyan, who completes under the International Chess Federation's flag, at 5.5 points – same as six others, including Carlsen and Indian stars Anish Giri and D Gukesh. Emirati Grandmaster A R Saleh Salem, Australia's Temur Kuybokarov and Indians Abhimanyu Puranik and Abhijeet Gupta also share the same spot with 5.5 points each as their hopes of winning the championship left hanging in the balance.
Dutchman Giri, ranked seventh globally, faced a tough challenge against Indian player Abhimanyu Puranik. Gukesh and Nihal Sarin also clinched comfortable wins in the penultimate round. Gukesh took down Dutchman Robby Kevlishvili, while Sarin created a strong attack to defeat Iranian Seyed Khalil Mousavi.
Ahead of today's all-important final round, Qatar Chess Federation President and Organising Committee Chairman Mohammed Al Mudahka expressed his confidence that the concluding matches would deliver a thrilling spectacle, where the Qatar Masters Open will discover a new champion.
With a substantial prize pool of $120,000 up for grabs, the championship culminates today.
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