Carlsen Takes Sole Lead In Biel
All Games End Decisively In Round 6
The draw percentage at this year's Biel tournament was already low, but fell still further in round 6 as Carlsen (pictured), Bacrot and Dominguez beat Pelletier, Alekseev and Onischuk respectively.
Dominguez had the hardest struggle, probing for weaknesses in a theoretically drawn Rook and Knight versus Rook ending. Onischuk defended for a long time, but eventually as time ran short he finally cracked and Dominguez took advantage to win after a mammoth 91 moves. If Onischuk had held out another 12 moves he could have claimed a draw by the 50-move rule. Heartbreaking for Onischuk, but the result leapfrogs Dominguez past Alekseev into second place behind the leader Carlsen.
Sunday is another rest day, so round 7 is on Monday.
Dominguez and Onischuk at the start of their marathon game:
The results in round 6:
| Onischuk, Alexander | - Dominguez Perez, Leinier | 0-1 | 91 | D97 | Gruenfeld Russian |
| Bacrot, Etienne | - Alekseev, Evgeny | 1-0 | 43 | E00 | Catalan |
| Pelletier, Yannick | - Carlsen, Magnus | 0-1 | 40 | E15 | Queens Indian |
The standings after round 6:
| 1 |
Carlsen, Magnus | NOR | 2775 |
4½ |
| 2 |
Dominguez Perez, Leinier | CUB | 2708 |
4 |
| 3 |
Alekseev, Evgeny | RUS | 2708 |
3½ |
| 4 |
Onischuk, Alexander | USA | 2670 |
3 |
| 5 |
Bacrot, Etienne | FRA | 2691 |
2½ |
| 6 |
Pelletier, Yannick | SUI | 2569 |
½ |
