When I entered the tournament hall last morning, it occurred to me that there were only two more rounds remaining; time just flew past like a breeze! As a player, I have often had this feeling but whether or not I was happy depended on my performance at that event. I mean, if I had performed well, I would be sad that the tournament had finished. But if I had performed badly, I would be happy.
But as a writer, the feeling is that of excitement. Watching these masters battling it out right in front of you is a spectacle in itself. Sometimes, experienced masters make simple errors; sometimes, young guns show a master-esque flair. Being here as a reporter, therefore, is truly an exhilarating experience.
So walking into the venue, I had several questions running through my head. Will the higher rated Kovalev become the sole leader once again, or will it be the Iranian sensation, Amin Tabatabaei, pull off another stunner? How many decisive games will the top ten boards produce? What about the big game between the two Indian child prodigies, R Praggnanandhaa and Nihal Sarin, who will prevail?
As has been my routine so far, I would first show you some highlights of the happenings of the round | ChessBase India YouTube
The game between Vladislav Kovalev and Amin Tabatabaei was the one that attracted everyone's attention. This game began with a French Defence wherein Tabatabaei chose his queen's activity over his king's safety. Kovalev, in response, played in a balanced manner and put his opponent under a lot of pressure. As a result, the Iranian IM tried to exchange queens. He did succeed but the queen exchange cost him a pawn. In the ensuing endgame with rooks and bishops, Kovalev not only had an extra pawn but his pieces were also better than their counterparts. By move 39, the Belarusian GM had registered an emphatic victory.
Amin Tabatabaei took a few too many risks in his game against Vladislav Kovalev in round 8 | Photo: Niklesh Jain
After his scintillating win in the previous round, Anton Korobov played yet another game that put spectators on the edge of their seats in round 8. The game was a short one that featured the Gruenfeld Defence. Both players played in a sharp, aggressive manner. A mate in one move was threatened on the black king when Artemiev, Korobov's opponent, forced perpetual checks to hold the game to a draw.
The game between Anton Korobov and Vladislav Artemiev was a short but spectacular draw | Photo: Niklesh Jain
Bologan had an extra piece against Najer in the endgame but there were no pawns remaining on the board! | Photo: Niklesh Jain
The game between Victor Bologan and Evgeny Najer was yet another intriguing battle. In the middlegame, the piece count for both sides was equal, but white was two pawns down. Both sides played aggressively from the very start in a Caro-Kann Defence but Bologan was the more successful of the two. Between moves 40-44, the Moldovan GM won a piece. However, the position turned pawnless on the 52nd move. Bologan had a rook, a knight and a light-squared bishop while his opponent only possessed a rook and a dark-squared bishop. The big question here was: would white's extra piece count despite there being no pawn on the board?
How exactly does white win here? | Photo: Niklesh Jain
Murali Karthikeyan, who had performed really well from the very start of this event, looked helpless against Sethuraman's imposing play in this penultimate round encounter. Both players, despite being teammates in the Indian Olympic team, went for each other's blood in this encounter. In a Two Knights Defence, Sethuraman was able to win a pawn on the 21st move and did not let his advantage slip away until the very end.
Despite being teammates, Sethuraman and Murali Karthikeyan went all out against each other | Photo: Niklesh Jain
Both Gata Kamsky and Krishnan Sasikiran scored victories today and have a good chance of finishing among the top 10. However, to achieve this, they will have to win their final round game. | Photo: Niklesh Jain
Vidit Gujrathi finally broke his streak of draws! | Photo: Niklesh Jain
After seven back to back draws in his first seven games, Vidit Gujrathi registered his first win against the Russian FM Aleksey Sorokin. Well, as they say, better late than never!
Coach and his student (Vidit Gujrathi and Abhijeet Kunte), who both won their games in round eight were seen having a happy dinner after the round | Photo: Niklesh Jain
The two child prodigies from India and Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Nihal Sarin were slated to play each other in round 8. The encounter (obviously) grabbed a lot of eyeballs not only because they were playing each other but also both of them are on the brink of scoring a GM norm.
Everyone was curious to see who wins! | Photo: Niklesh Jain
Some highlights from the game | ChessBase India YouTube
Post-game analysis and interview with both players | ChessBase India YouTube
What remains to be seen today is if Kovalev could clinch the title prize. With a full point lead over the rest of the field, he's surely a clear favourite | Photo: Niklesh Jain
| Rk. | Name | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | |
| 1 | GM | Kovalev Vladislav | 2641 | 6,5 | 3 |
| 2 | GM | Petrosian Tigran L. | 2589 | 5,5 | 4 |
| 3 | GM | Bologan Victor | 2600 | 5,5 | 4 |
| 4 | GM | Artemiev Vladislav | 2697 | 5,5 | 4 |
| 5 | IM | Tabatabaei M.Amin | 2577 | 5,5 | 4 |
| 6 | GM | Sethuraman S.P. | 2646 | 5,5 | 4 |
| 7 | GM | Sargissian Gabriel | 2677 | 5,5 | 4 |
| 8 | GM | Gordievsky Dmitry | 2630 | 5,5 | 4 |
| 9 | GM | Lysyj Igor | 2618 | 5,5 | 3 |
| 10 | GM | Korobov Anton | 2664 | 5,5 | 3 |
| 11 | GM | Khalifman Alexander | 2614 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 12 | GM | Xu Xiangyu | 2545 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 13 | GM | Kamsky Gata | 2677 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 14 | GM | Sasikiran Krishnan | 2671 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 15 | GM | Mamedov Rauf | 2709 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 16 | GM | Alekseenko Kirill | 2609 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 17 | GM | Mareco Sandro | 2632 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 18 | GM | Aravindh Chithambaram Vr. | 2617 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 19 | GM | Jumabayev Rinat | 2614 | 5,0 | 4 |
| 20 | GM | Matlakov Maxim | 2709 | 5,0 | 3 |
| 21 | GM | Karthikeyan Murali | 2585 | 4,5 | 4 |
| 22 | GM | Yuffa Daniil | 2521 | 4,5 | 4 |
| 23 | IM | Xu Yi | 2490 | 4,5 | 4 |
| 24 | IM | Hakobyan Aram | 2497 | 4,5 | 4 |
| 25 | GM | Andreikin Dmitry | 2712 | 4,5 | 4 |
