An unbeaten champion
GM Karthikeyan Murali won his first rating tournament of the year which had an average rating of 2554. We all know that he is very strong. This tournament triumph and that also while remaining undefeated only reasserts that notion.
Rodshtein - Karthikeyan, Round 5
GM Karthikeyan Murali (2618) navigated through the complex rook and few pawns endgame against GM Maxim Rodshtein (ISR, 2606) in the fifth round. 31.Ra5 Rc2 32.Rxa7?? b5 -+ and Black had no trouble converting his decisive advantage into a full point. The counter-intuitive 31.Kg2 allowing Black to capture White's pawns was a better practical choice than 31.Ra5. It would have given him some fighting chances.
The ten player round-robin tournament featured 6 GMs and 4 IMs from seven countries across the world. The tournament was organized by Echiquier du Roy Rene from 7th to 13th August 2023 at Espace Polyvalent Arbois Duranne in Aix en Provence, France. The nine-round tournament had a time control of 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.
Final standings
