Four Way Tie For The Lead In Sochi
The Race Hots Up With 3 Rounds To Go
Round 9 was a relatively quiet affair which produced only one decisive game with Wang Yue of China (pictured) beating Teimour Radjabov to swap places with him as joint leader with Ivan Cheparinov.
Round 10 was a complete contrast, producing an amazing 5 decisive games, yet the race for overall victory in this second Grand Prix in Sochi is as close as ever with four competitors now sharing the lead on 6/10 with just 3 rounds to go!
The backmarkers Navara and Al-Modiaki sank deeper into the mire at the bottom of the table after losing to Radjabov and Gashimov respectively. Both Navara and Al-Modiaki played the Sicilian and both suffered badly at the hands of their higher-rated opponents.
Ivanchuk has had a disappointing tournament so far, and lost in round 10 to Boris Gelfand after getting his Queen trapped in the middle of the board. Ouch!
The other winners on a dramatic day were Karjakin and Aronian who beat Svidler and Cheparinov respectively with the Black pieces.
The results in round 9:
| Wang Yue | - Radjabov, Teimour | 1-0 | 62 | E81 | King's Indian Saemisch |
| Aronian, Levon | - Svidler, Peter | ½-½ | 63 | A29 | English Four Knights |
| Karjakin, Sergey | - Gashimov, Vugar | ½-½ | 41 | A61 | Benoni |
| Grischuk, Alexander | - Kamsky, Gata | ½-½ | 54 | D15 | Slav Defence |
| Ivanchuk, Vassily | - Cheparinov, Ivan | ½-½ | 23 | D45 | Anti-Meran Variations |
| Navara, David | - Gelfand, Boris | ½-½ | 28 | C33 | Kings Bishops Gambit |
| Al-Modiahki, Mohamad | - Jakovenko, Dmitry | ½-½ | 40 | B30 | Sicilian Rossolimo |
The results in round 10:
| Gashimov, Vugar | - Al-Modiahki, Mohamad | 1-0 | 40 | B57 | Sicilian Sozin Attack |
| Radjabov, Teimour | - Navara, David | 1-0 | 25 | B46 | Sicilian Paulsen |
| Cheparinov, Ivan | - Aronian, Levon | 0-1 | 41 | D11 | Slav Defence |
| Kamsky, Gata | - Jakovenko, Dmitry | ½-½ | 44 | C91 | Ruy Lopez |
| Grischuk, Alexander | - Wang Yue | ½-½ | 34 | B13 | Caro Kann Exchange |
| Gelfand, Boris | - Ivanchuk, Vassily | 1-0 | 38 | A30 | English Symmetrical |
| Svidler, Peter | - Karjakin, Sergey | 0-1 | 37 | E15 | Queens Indian |
The standings after round 10:
| 1 | Wang Yue | CHN | 2704 | 6 |
| 2 | Gashimov, Vugar | AZE | 2717 | 6 |
| 3 | Aronian, Levon | ARM | 2737 | 6 |
| 4 | Radjabov, Teimour | AZE | 2744 | 6 |
| 5 | Cheparinov, Ivan | BUL | 2687 | 5½ |
| 6 | Kamsky, Gata | USA | 2723 | 5½ |
| 7 | Karjakin, Sergey | UKR | 2727 | 5½ |
| 8 | Grischuk, Alexander | RUS | 2728 | 5 |
| 9 | Jakovenko, Dmitry | RUS | 2709 | 5 |
| 10 | Ivanchuk, Vassily | UKR | 2781 | 5 |
| 11 | Gelfand, Boris | ISR | 2720 | 4½ |
| 12 | Svidler, Peter | RUS | 2738 | 4 |
| 13 | Navara, David | CZE | 2646 | 3 |
| 14 | Al-Modiahki, Mohamad | QAT | 2556 | 3 |
