Nodirbek Yakubboev gets one step closer to the Candidates
Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB) won his match against Alexander Donchenko (GER) on Uzbekistan Flag Day to win the match and secure his place in the Semifinals. He is the first player out of the eight Quarterfinalists to do so. He is also now one step closer to securing his place in the Candidates. Being in the Semifinals means, he will get at least two more matches to qualify to the coveted Candidates tournament.
Sindarov - Jose: 1-1
GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (MEX, 2644) and GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB, 2721) played a well-known theoretical draw in the Four-Knights' Game. Tie-breaks will decide the winner of the match tomorrow.
Arjun - Wei: 1-1
GM Arjun Erigaisi (2769) missed a half chance against GM Wei Yi (CHN, 2752) in the middlegame.
24.Bxd5 Qc8 25.Rxc3 Qxc3 26.Bxb7 would have given White an edge. Probably he was worried about 24...Qxd5 25.Rxc3 Ng5 26.e4 Rxe4 27.Rd1 White needed to find to prevent all shenanigans on the light square. Even if he had spotted it, he probably did not want to risk it, as he got eliminated in the Quarterfinals in the previous edition in 2023. So, that's probably there at the back of his mind. Hence, he opted for the tame 24.Qd2 Rxc1 25.Rxc1 Qa6 26.Bxd5 the landscape had changed. So taking the pawn now did not give him as much advantage as he would have gotten and needed. The game ended in a draw in another half a dozen more moves.
Esipenko - Shankland: 1-1
GM Andrey Esipenko (2681) and Sam Shankland (USA, 2649) played another well contested draw. They will play tie-breaks tomorrow.
Donchenko - Yakubboev: 0.5-1.5
GM Alexander Donchenko (GER, 2641) tried a lot to score the equalizer against GM Nodirbek Yakubboev (UZB, 2689). A draw is the maximum he could muster. Thus, Yakubboev became the first Semifinalist of the event. He will face the winner of the match between GM Javokhir Sindarov (UZB) and GM Jose Eduardo Martinez Alcantara (MEX).
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