Wang Hao started the tournament in Prague as the number 1 seed and after 6 rounds with 3 out of 6 he shares places 4 to 8 with four other players. However, with two wins, two draws and two defeats, the Chinese grandmaster has more decided games on his record than any other player at the Masters. In round 6, Wang Hao defeated Boris Gelfand with an interesting concept in a well-known Sicilian.
But that was the only game decided in round 6. Vincent Keymer missed two good opportunities against Haik Martirosyan in a line of the Queen's Gambit Exchange Variation and had to settle for half a point in the end.
David Navara and Sam Shankland engaged in a very entertaining and intricate tactical exchange in a variation of the Benoni Defence, a rare guest at top level tournaments.
The result is an unusual table: Vincent Keymer, Bogdan-Daniel Deac and Ray Robson share first place with 3.5 out of 6, followed by five players on 3 out of 6 and half a point back in 4th to 8th place. With three rounds still to be played, the ultimate winner of the tournament is anyone's guess - eight players have realistic to good chances of finishing in first place.
There were two decisions in the Challengers: 13-year-old Czech FM Vaclav Finek won with White against Jergus Pechac and Alexander Motylev won with Black against Richard Stalmach. Benjamin Gledura thus defended his sole lead in the standings. After 6 rounds he is alone at the top with 4.5 out of 6. Mateusz Bartel follows half a point behind in second place with 4 out of 6.
