Shirov Disaster at Poikovksy

After winning recently at the extremely strong M-Tel tournament in Bulgaria, Alexei Shirov (pictured) was favourite for the 10th International Poikovsky Tournament in Russia.

However, in a remarkable turn-around in form, Shirov has lost his first four games to find himself propping up the leaderboard, with any hopes of a tournament victory already long gone.

Chess can be a cruel mistress!  When things start to go badly, it can be difficult to turn your fortunes around, and losses seem to breed even more painful losses.

Joint leaders on 3.5/4.0 are Vugar Gashimov and Alexander Motylev, both of whom have already beaten Shirov.  There have been a few brutally short losses in the event so far, some of which are presented below for your viewing pleasure!

The full standings after 4 rounds: