The two co-leaders at the TePe Sigeman & Co tournament already faced each other in the first round of the event. The game ended in a draw — Abhimanyu Mishra had the white pieces against Peter Svidler.
In the remaining two rounds, Abhi will face Arujn Erigaisi and Boris Gelfand — two players who have been struggling in Malmö — while Svidler will play against the two players that are currently standing a half point behind the leaders, Nils Grandelius and Dommaraju Gukesh.
Round 5 saw Abhimanyu drawing Gukesh in their first-ever confrontation in a classical, rated game. The game was not without tension, as both players demonstrated their calculation abilities out of a Sicilian Najdorf.
Meanwhile, Svidler held Vincent Keymer to a draw with the black pieces
Dommaraju Gukesh (aged 16) facing Abhimanyu Mishra (14) | Photo: David Llada
In the one decisive game of round 5, Jorden van Foreest played 18 moves in an objectively drawn rook endgame in which he had the slightest of edges. The Dutchman had a bit more activity than his opponent with his pair of rooks.
Van Foreest’s obstinacy paid off, as Arjun blundered into a losing king and pawn ending on move 47.
47...Kg7 was the only way to keep the balance, while Arjun’s 47...Kg8 loses to 48.e6 Rxe6 49.Rexe6 fxe6 50.Rxf8 Kxf8
Resignation came after 51.Kxg4, as White will use zugzwang to gain a pawn and win the game. The lesson? Never give up trying, as even top GMs blunder in completely drawn positions!
Sharing the lead — Peter Svidler | Photo: David Llada
