Caruana merely 7.2 Elo points behind Carlsen in the live rankings

All four groups have sole leaders after six rounds of the Total Chess Pilot in Budapest. Alireza Firouzja (Group A), Fabiano Caruana (Group B), Haik Martirosyan (Group C) and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Group D) are currently in first place, with Caruana continuing to lead the overall scoring table. Friday's most notable result was Martirosyan's victory over Magnus Carlsen, which had major implications for the live classical ratings.

Caruana remains the tournament's top scorer after collecting a win and a draw against Vincent Keymer on Friday. The five-time US champion now has 14 points from six games, having recorded four wins and two draws.

10 Chess Principles That Actually Matter

Keep it simple. Stay objective. Watch the clock. Sometimes take the risk. GM Loek van Wely explains the ten principles that decide real games. They aren’t about theory. They’re about what you do at the board when it counts.
Opening theory gets all the attention. But according to GM Loek van Wely, a player who has played in 14 Olympiads, is eight-time Dutch champion, and has decades of experience against Karpov, Kasparov, Anand, and Carlsen, most of what separates strong players from the rest has nothing to do with memorised lines.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Don't Bluff the Donkey

Vachier-Lagrave, meanwhile, has scored a win and a draw in each of his three mini-matches, including Friday's encounter against former co-leader Hans Niemann. The Frenchman leads Group D with 12 points, the second-highest tally in the event.

In Group A, Firouzja suffered his first defeat of the tournament at the hands of Andrew Hong, who outplayed the Frenchman with the white pieces in a double-edged Sicilian. Firouzja bounced back with a win and remains the sole leader with 11 points. Standing in sole second place, 2 points back, is Jan-Krzysztof Duda.

Will Fabiano Caruana manage to end the tournament as the highest-ranked player in the world? | Photo: Michal Walusza

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Photo: Michal Walusza

The biggest surprise came in Group C, where Haik Martirosyan defeated Magnus Carlsen in their first-ever classical encounter. The Armenian had exchanged wins with Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Anish Giri in his first two mini-matches, and his victory over Carlsen helped him reach 10 points. Martirosyan confessed afterwards:

It's like a dream for me. I just dreamed to play against him in classical chess, but to win it, it's really special.

In their second encounter, Carlsen opted for a risky line featuring an early g2-g4. The Norwegian could have found himself in real trouble again had he continued playing adventurously, but the game eventually ended in a draw by repetition. Carlsen has thus collected five draws and one loss so far in the group stage.

Since the fast classical games count towards the official classical ratings, Carlsen's results have affected the top of the live rankings. He has lost 15.8 rating points, dropping to 2807.2, below his lowest official rating of the past decade (2822 in August 2017). Caruana, on the other hand, has gained 17 points and returned to the 2800 mark, leaving him just 7.2 points behind Carlsen. The Norwegian has held the official world number one ranking continuously since July 2011, a streak spanning more than 15 years.

Magnus Carlsen is struggling to show his best form in Budapest | Photo: Michal Walusza

Practical Tips for the Tournament Player Vol.1: Fundamentals of Practical Chess

How grandmasters win without fireworks: GM Jan Markos shows you 11 very practical tips from "How to play in a lost position" to "Be patient like Carlsen" that will improve your tournament chess.
Most chess books teach you what to think about. This series teaches you what to actually do when the clock is running and the result is on the line. Compiled from GM Jan Markos's acclaimed "Practical Tips for the Tournament Player" column in ChessBase Magazine, Volume 1 covers the decisions every tournament player faces before the position ever gets complicated: how you use your time, how you handle pressure, and how you think when the stakes are real.
Free Video Sample: How to use your time effectively

The man of the hour - Haik Martirosyan | Photo: Michal Walusza

Group A

Rounds 5 & 6

Standings (win = 3 pts., draw = 1 pt.)

Andrew Hong obtained an upset victory over Alireza Firouzja | Photo: Michal Walusza

All games

Group B

Rounds 5 & 6

Standings (win = 3 pts., draw = 1 pt.)

Attacking Chess: Know When to Strike

Most players don’t lack the urge to attack, they just strike at the wrong moment, and GM Sipke Ernst shows you which signals tell you to go for the king and which tell you to choose another plan.
Most players know how to attack. What separates strong players from the rest is knowing when. In this course, GM Sipke Ernst, a grandmaster from the Netherlands and experienced coach, addresses the mistake he sees most often in his own students: attacking with the right idea, at the wrong moment.
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Example Game: Ernst - Mediema

Vincent Keymer and Fabiano Caruana | Photo: Michal Walusza

All games

Group C

Rounds 5 & 6

Standings (win = 3 pts., draw = 1 pt.)

Haik Martirosyan signed his first draw of the event in his game with black against Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Michal Walusza

All games

Group D

Rounds 5 & 6

Standings (win = 3 pts., draw = 1 pt.)

King's Indian Attack - Simple. Flexible. Dynamic.

The King‘s Indian Attack is a universal opening: easy to learn, flexible, and rich in both tactical and positional opportunities.

Hans Niemann v. Maxime Vachier Lagrave | Photo: Michal Walusza

All games

Links

• Official website
• Total Chess proposes unified rating system
• Who will become the FIDE World Combined Champion?