After yesterdays somewhat drawn out (and mostly drawn) games, today saw some real classics. The big buzz was around Aronian and Arjun, with Aronian blundering in a slightly worse position, to lose the game on the spot. The win for Arjun Erigaisi was clearly a popular one, as I could hear the cheers from outside the playing hall as the victor emerged from the players exit.
Also going through to round 6 were Sindarov (with a draw against Svane) , Nodirbek (beating Sargissian) and Wei Yi (a nice win over Sevian). Sevian either sacrificed or blundered a pawn in the opening, but managed to reach an equal position by move 25. However, he chose the wrong square for the rook, and Wei's endgame technique proved impossible to overcome.
Speaking of endgame technique, Donchenko has the mortifying experience of drawing a rook ending after being 3 pawns up. Post game analysis showed the neither player played the position well, but it was still a heart breaker for Donchenko, and a real escape for Le.
Tomorrow has 4 playoffs on the menu, with an all Russian pairing (Esipenko and Grebnev) leading to the possibility of an all Russian Quarter final (if Dubov goes through as well)
No comments:
Post a Comment