Two games ended decisively in round 4 of the TePe Sigeman & Co. Tournament. Both Ju Wenjun and Nodirbek Abdusattorov obtained victories for the first time in the event, with Ju defeating former co-leader Vincent Keymer and top seed Abdusattorov getting the better of Nils Grandelius. These results left Arjun Erigaisi and Anton Korobov — who drew their direct encounter on Tuesday — tied for first place with 3 points each.
Surely the most surprising result was Ju’s victory over Keymer. Ju is the lowest-rated player in the field and had started the event with back-to-back losses against Arjun and Peter Svidler. Not only was the result a surprise though, but also the way the game played out: Keymer blundered a piece on move 27, then miraculously re-established equality in the endgame, and finally failed to find the path to a draw in a tricky technical position.
Abdusattorov’s victory was more straightforward, as Grandelius spent too much time trying to work out how to proceed in a deeply strategic opening, which cost him dearly in a critical point of the game later on.
In round 5, Keymer will have a tough task in trying to bounce back from a painful loss, as he will play black against co-leader Arjun. The other co-leader, Korobov, will play black against Svidler in a duel between the two most experienced players in the field.
Results - Round 4
Still sharing the lead — Anton Korobov and Arjun Erigaisi | Photo: Mikael Svensson, tepesigemanchess.com
Vincent Keymer and Ju Wenjun | Photo: Mikael Svensson, tepesigemanchess.com
Analysis by Klaus Besenthal
Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Nils Grandelius | Photo: Mikael Svensson, tepesigemanchess.com
