Two co-leaders, ten chasers
After four rounds at the Sharjah Masters, Anish Giri and Aleksandar Indjic are sharing the lead with 3½ points. Giri, the second seed, has won three games and drew in round two against Karthik Venkataraman. Indjic, who won the 2024 European Championship, dropped half a point in round three when he was held to a draw by Visakh N R. Giri and Indjic are scheduled to face each other in round five, with Giri playing white in the match between co-leaders.
Ten players are half a point behind on 3/4, including the aforementioned Visakh, who remains the lowest-rated in the chasing group. Among the higher seeds in this pack are Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Parham Maghsoodloo and Amin Tabatabaei.
In this Video-Course we deal with different dynamic decisions involving pawns. The aim of this Course is to arm club/tournament players with fresh ideas which they can use in their own practice.
Faustino Oro, the 11-year-old Argentine competing as the penultimate seed, continues to impress. He has collected 2½ points from one win and three draws, all against opponents rated 2555 or above (the 'Messi of chess' currently has a 2454 rating). In round five, he will face Sergei Azarov, the 42-year-old Belarusian grandmaster ranked 20th in the tournament.

Aleksandar Indjic during round four

Faustino Oro
Zemlyanskii 0-1 Giri
The course is designed to provide a deep yet practical repertoire for Black, balancing solid foundations with aggressive counterplay.
The Classical Sicilian has stood the test of time as one of the most principled and fighting defences against 1.e4. With its rich history spanning world championship matches and modern elite tournaments, this opening remains a favourite among players who seek a dynamic, counterattacking approach without venturing into extreme theoretical battles like the Najdorf or Sveshnikov.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: 6.h3

Ivan Zemlyanskii
Standings after round 4
1 |
2 |
|
GM |
Giri, Anish |
|
2738 |
3,5 |
8,5 |
2 |
8 |
|
GM |
Indjic, Aleksandar |
|
2637 |
3,5 |
8,5 |
3 |
63 |
|
GM |
Visakh, N R |
|
2507 |
3 |
11 |
4 |
52 |
|
GM |
Dai, Changren |
|
2531 |
3 |
10,5 |
5 |
17 |
|
GM |
Theodorou, Nikolas |
|
2611 |
3 |
9 |
6 |
3 |
|
GM |
Maghsoodloo, Parham |
|
2706 |
3 |
8,5 |
7 |
5 |
|
GM |
Tabatabaei, M. Amin |
|
2670 |
3 |
8 |
8 |
24 |
|
GM |
Kozak, Adam |
|
2578 |
3 |
8 |
9 |
29 |
|
GM |
Amar, Elham |
|
2569 |
3 |
8 |
10 |
45 |
|
GM |
Woodward, Andy |
|
2547 |
3 |
8 |
11 |
1 |
|
GM |
Abdusattorov, Nodirbek |
|
2771 |
3 |
7 |
12 |
16 |
|
GM |
Daneshvar, Bardiya |
|
2621 |
3 |
6 |
13 |
36 |
|
GM |
Vetokhin, Savva |
|
2558 |
2,5 |
10 |
14 |
44 |
|
GM |
Aditya, Mittal |
|
2547 |
2,5 |
10 |
15 |
6 |
|
GM |
Sargsyan, Shant |
|
2666 |
2,5 |
9,5 |
16 |
59 |
|
GM |
Nikitenko, Mihail |
|
2516 |
2,5 |
9,5 |
17 |
31 |
|
GM |
Karthik, Venkataraman |
|
2565 |
2,5 |
9 |
18 |
58 |
|
GM |
Kacharava, Nikolozi |
|
2516 |
2,5 |
9 |
19 |
80 |
|
GM |
Nigmatov, Ortik |
|
2457 |
2,5 |
9 |
20 |
11 |
|
GM |
Salem, A.R. Saleh |
|
2631 |
2,5 |
8,5 |
21 |
13 |
|
GM |
Ivic, Velimir |
|
2630 |
2,5 |
8,5 |
22 |
34 |
|
GM |
Zemlyanskii, Ivan |
|
2563 |
2,5 |
8,5 |
23 |
19 |
|
GM |
Tin, Jingyao |
|
2601 |
2,5 |
8 |
24 |
20 |
|
GM |
Azarov, Sergei |
|
2596 |
2,5 |
8 |
25 |
26 |
|
GM |
Iniyan, Pa |
|
2573 |
2,5 |
8 |
...82 players
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