Leon is just a draw away from winning the tournament
India's 67th and latest GM Leon Luke Mendonca extended his lead to a full point by scoring victory over IM Sandor Farago. Leon is now at 7.5/8 and he is pursued by GM Milan Pacher 6.5/8 who will duke it out in the final round.
Leon is on the brink of first tournament victory in 2021 | Photo: Niki Riga
A small bump
Leon scored a fantastic victory in the penultimate eighth round, however there was a slight opportunity for his opponent IM Sandor Farago to stir up some trouble.
Sandor - Leon
Position after 17...Nc5
In a seemingly equal position, Leon defended the e6-pawn incorrectly with 17...Nc5. Find out why it is a mistake and what was the better way for black to defend it.
Standings after Round 8
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | n | w-we | K | rtg+/- | ||
| 1 | 7 | IM | Mendonca Leon Luke | IND | 2538 | 7,5 | 0,0 | 23,25 | 8 | 0,50 | 10 | 5,0 | |
| 2 | 3 | GM | Pacher Milan | SVK | 2394 | 6,5 | 0,0 | 20,50 | 8 | 0,48 | 10 | 4,8 | |
| 3 | 10 | FM | Bodi Tibor | HUN | 2384 | 5,5 | 0,0 | 17,25 | 8 | 0,13 | 20 | 2,6 | |
| 4 | 1 | FM | Pasti Aron | HUN | 2198 | 5,0 | 0,0 | 13,25 | 8 | 1,52 | 20 | 30,4 | |
| 5 | 6 | CM | Papadiamandis Elliot | FRA | 2134 | 4,0 | 0,0 | 14,75 | 8 | 1,24 | 40 | 49,6 | |
| 6 | 2 | IM | Farago Sandor | HUN | 2193 | 3,5 | 0,0 | 12,75 | 8 | 0,20 | 10 | 2,0 | |
| 7 | 9 | FM | Lyell Mark | ENG | 2198 | 3,0 | 0,0 | 6,25 | 8 | -0,48 | 20 | -9,6 | |
| 8 | 5 | Palczert Botond | HUN | 2082 | 2,5 | 0,0 | 5,75 | 8 | 0,05 | 40 | 2,0 | ||
| 9 | 4 | Lakatos Tamas | HUN | 2198 | 1,5 | 0,0 | 3,00 | 8 | -1,89 | 40 | -75,6 | ||
| 10 | 8 | Konyves Almos | HUN | 2131 | 1,0 | 0,0 | 2,75 | 8 | -1,75 | 40 | -70,0 |
