Why Did All Eight Players Choose to Agree to a Draw?

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plutotree

Dec 30, 2024

In the final round of the World Blitz Chess Championship 2024, eight players has 9 points, and they faced off against each other. According to the rules, the top eight players compete in a knockout stage.

I'm confused about why all eight players with 9 points in the final round chose to agree to a draw, without exception. There were still two matches between players with 8.5 points each. Points 9.5 wouldn't guarantee advancement to the next round. For the top four players, agreeing to a draw is a good choice. For the fifth and sixth players, it is still an acceptable option. However, for the seventh and eighth players, it seems less worthwhile.

Another point is whether it is more respectable for the competition to strive for victory as much as possible.

The final result shows that among the eight players who agreed to a draw, one player, Daniel Naroditsky, did not advance to the knockout stage.

Lyudmil_Tsvetkov

Dec 31, 2024

People get physically and mentally tired in the last round.

Chaos erupts in the playing hall.

It is definitely safer to draw.