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From May 15th to 23rd, two round-robin tournaments have been held, each with ten players. The A tournament players have an average rating of 2627, while the B tournament features a slightly weaker field with a rating average of 2534. The prize fund is USD $36,000. Players receive 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, with a 30-second increment starting from move one. No draw offers are allowed before move 30.
Vasif Durarbayli and Varuzhan Akobian were tied on 5½ points after eight rounds, but 17-year-old GM Sam Sevian was just a half point behind.
