Five co-leaders
Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus and Arjun Erigaisi collected their first wins of the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament in round three, creating a five-player tie at the top of the standings. They joined Magnus Carlsen, Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Andy Woodward on the leading score, while Nils Grandelius and Zhu Jiner remained at the foot of the table after further setbacks.
With five players tied for first place, the tournament reaches its second half on Monday. Abdusattorov v. Erigaisi will be the only direct clash between co-leaders in round four, but the compact standings leave little room for a quiet day.
Round 3 results
Woodward and Jorden van Foreest were the first to split the point. Van Foreest met 1.d4 with 1...d6, suggesting an unbalanced fight from the start, and Woodward responded in kind with 5.Rg1, clearly preparing a kingside expansion with g4-g5.
The line was not new, but the youngster from Texas chose a new continuation that forced Van Foreest to think for himself early. The position promised complications, though the tension did not last, and the game eventually simplified into the first draw of the day.
Let our authors show you how Carlsen tailored his openings to be able to outplay his opponents strategically in the middlegame or to obtain an enduring advantage into the endgame.
Jorden van Foreest and Andy Woodward sharing notes after their 40-move encounter | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website
The most prominent pairing of the round was Carlsen v. Abdusattorov, a meeting between the two top seeds in the field. The game began with a considerable delay, as Abdusattorov waited seven minutes for Carlsen to arrive at the board - this is not the first time the Norwegian arrives late, as he even delays the start of rapid or blitz games.
Once play started, Carlsen introduced a rare opening idea and seemed at times to be close to obtaining the kind of small positional edge he often converts into long-term pressure. Abdusattorov, however, neutralised the danger. The players reached a queen endgame that neither side considered worth pressing further, and the draw was agreed.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores the fascinating world of Dutch and Grünfelkd structures with colours reversed.
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores one of the most intriguing and under-examined areas of modern chess: reversed opening systems, focusing on the Reversed Grünfeld and the Reversed Dutch. At first glance, these two systems seem unrelated. However, they share a common strategic challenge: the value of tempi, structure, and psychology when familiar openings are played with colours reversed. Drawing on his long professional experience, Sokolov explains why these positions are far more subtle than they appear and why traditional engine evaluations often fail to capture their true complexity.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Larsen’s b4 Plan vs Reversed Stonewall Setups: Larsen - Spassky
Magnus Carlsen facing Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website
Erdogmus inflicted Zhu's second loss of the tournament, as the Chinese GM lost in round one and came from escaping with a draw in round two. Erdogmus admitted afterwards that he had not expected Zhu's opening setup with 1.Nf3, 2.e3 and 3.b3, but found a playable, novel approach over the board.
Zhu's 11.g4?! was a turning point in the game: she delayed castling and tried to generate activity, but the attack never developed into a real threat.
From there, Erdogmus took control with natural and forceful moves, gradually improving his position while Zhu's coordination deteriorated. By the time she reached move 34, her position was already very difficult, and she was also down to merely seconds on the clock. Her final move allowed a knight fork on c3 that would win the queen, as she resigned immediately before the tactic appeared on the board.
In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
The London System is one of the most popular openings at every level of chess but not all Londons are the same. In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: 5...cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 sidelines
Zhu Jiner | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website
Erigaisi also moved into the shared lead by beating Grandelius, who suffered his third defeat in as many rounds. Despite his difficult start to the tournament, the Swedish number one did not choose a cautious approach. Instead, he opted for the Dragon variation of the Sicilian Defence with black. A complex middlegame followed, as the contenders reached a position with pawns on opposite wings of the board.
Engines showed that Grandelius had chances to keep the position under control, but finding the correct defensive plan in such a sharp setup was never going to be easy while in deep time trouble - by move 33 (diagram above), Erigaisi had 37 minutes to Grandelius' 4.
Erigaisi took over and converted the advantage.
Let us learn together how to find the best spot for the queen in the early middlegame, how to navigate this piece around the board, how to time the queen attack, how to decide whether to exchange it or not, and much more!The Indian's victory brought him back into the world top ten in the live ratings list.
Arjun Erigaisi and Nils Grandelius | Photo: Peter Doggers / Official website
Standings after round 3
All games
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