All Players Tied For 1st/Last After 3 Rounds In Shamkir

And on the third day, no one rose again in Shamkir. Three rounds and fifteen games have resulted in a perfect fifteen draws. Each player in the event therefore has the distinction of being on both shared first and shared last place.

The first player to draw his game was Radek Wojtaszek who improved on a game he lost to Anish Giri by sacrificing a pawn for sufficient play against David Navara. The game was soon drawn thereafter.

Wojtaszek, Anand's second and a renowned theoretician, improved on his prior play and drew. | Photo: Shamkir Chess.

The next game to finish was a far-more bloodthirsty game in which Shakhriyar Mamedyarov played the interesting sacrifice 16.g4! Mortals might have faltered in the face of the ensuing pressure, but the "Minister of Defense," Sergey Karjakin, was up to the difficult task ahead of him and neutralized Mamedyarov's interesting play.

Karjakin made holding back Mamedyarov's attack seem almost easy. | Photo: Shamkir Chess.

Giri vs Teymur Rajabov was the third game to draw and the third game to feature a pawn sacrifice. It was Giri who permitted Rajabov to play 15...Qxb2, but despite the temporary pawn deficit, neither player ever risked much.

Teymur Rajabov took the "poisoned pawn" and lived to tell the tale. | Photo: Shamkir Chess.

GM Dejan Bojkov analyzes the draw between Rauf Mamedov and Magnus Carlsen. After exploring the game's nooks and crannies, he described it as "dry."

By far the most interesting game of the round was Ding Liren vs Veselin Topalov. Topalov could have won the game on move 42 with ...Ng4! and 43...Qb8!, but he instead sacrificed a piece, overestimating his winning chances.

Ding Liren was extremely fortunate to escape Topalov's clutches. | Photo: Shamkir Chess.

Standings after Round Three | Shamkir Chess

Shamkir Chess runs from April 19-28, with a rest day on April 24. The games start at 3 p.m. local time, which is 1 p.m. Central Europe, noon London, 7 a.m. New York, and 4 a.m. Pacific. The prize fund is €100,000 ($123,689) with a first prize of €30,000 ($37,107).

Related report:

• 'Giri Perfection' Continues In Shamkir
• Carlsen, Mamedyarov Top Seeds In Shamkir