8/20/2018 – When I spotted a tournament in Gold Coast, I was only too happy to tick my 3rd continent out of 7. With a population of mere 6,00,000 and an Air Quality score of 18, Gold Coast is one of those ideal escapes. It’s a unique place where one can spot Kangaroos hopping about in the midst of one’s games. In an exciting tournament with just 37 players, 17-year old Teymur Kuybokarov came out on top with 7.5/9. GM Anton Smirnov finished 2nd with 7/9. Former World Under 12 Champion IM Bobby Cheng, who’ll soon be a GM was the first among equals in a group of players sharing the 3rd place. | Photo: Kgbo [CC BY-SA 4.0], via Wikimedia Commons

8/15/2018 – The race for the title between Daniil Dubov, Anton Korobov and Salem Saleh ended in a deadlock between the three GMs after a nailbiting final round. Due to his better tiebreak, Dubov was declared the winner while Korobov and Saleh were placed third and fourth, respectively. The tournament also witnessed two Indian teenagers, Nihal Sarin and Arjun Erigaisi earn their grandmaster titles at its conclusion. | Photo: Abu Dhabi Masters Twitter