Maghsoodloo, Nakamura Join Leaders

GMs Hikaru Nakamura and Parham Maghsoodloo each won in round nine of the FIDE Grand Swiss 2023 to catch the leaders, GMs Andrey Esipenko, Vidit Gujrathi, Fabiano Caruana, and Bogdan-Daniel Deac.

In the Women's, Vaishali Rameshbabu has captured the sole lead, defeating one of the previous leaders, GM Antoaneta Stefanova. 

Round ten begins on Saturday, November 4 at 10:45 a.m. ET / 15:45 CET / 8:15 p.m. IST.  

• Open: Nakamura, Maghsoodloo Fight Their Way Into The Lead
• Women's: Vaishali's Fighting Spirit Pays Off

With just two rounds remaining, the tension is growing at the Grand Swiss. Vaishali has broken through to take the clear lead in the Women's section while in the Open section, it's grown crowded at the top with six players now in the lead.

Open: Nakamura, Maghsoodloo Fight Their Way Into The Lead

Nakamura and Maghsoodloo were the last two boards to finish in the top ten. Their relentless efforts for the win earned them spots on the leaderboard.

Maghsoodloo's game vs. GM Alexey Sarana was a positional masterclass in playing with hanging pawns and the bishop pair. After the game, Maghsoodloo shared: "I feel very happy and also a bit tired. All of my games take so much time, so much energy."

His instructive victory is the Game of the Day, with annotations by GM Dejan Bojkov below.

With this win, Maghsoodloo is now just two rating points outside of the world top ten on the live rankings. 

Caught in a bind on the queenside, GM Ivan Cheparinov sacrificed a pawn vs. Nakamura to try to take over the initiative. The American grandmaster accepted the pawn and weathered his opponent’s activity by tactical means to retain his extra pawn into the ending. Despite the clear advantage, Nakamura had to fight out a long, winding endgame to gain the full point. 

In his recap titled "Battling to Death for a Candidates Spot," Nakamura describes how he had to win the endgame all over again after a couple of inaccuracies: "As soon as he played 41…Re3, I started muttering to myself. I was very upset because I realized that I can’t make any progress…"

Deac gained an edge vs. Caruana with Black but missed a couple of opportunities to maximize it. Check out the fascinating knight sacrifice that the computer discovered. 

Deac chose to trade his positional advantage for an extra pawn, but this allowed Caruana to reach an ending with adequate compensation. 

On move 15, Vidit declared his intention to play for the win, rejecting Esipenko’s repetition offer. Esipenko responded by devoting over half his time, 52 minutes, to a prophylactic rook move. Esipenko's careful play successfully held the balance. 

A Breathtaking Tactic

Can you find the incredible tactical combination that GM Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu found vs GM Rinat Jumabayev? 

White to move.

Spectacular Attacks

IM Shreyas Royal and GM Volodar Murzin played a game of mutual attacking pandemonium. In the end, Murzin won with a stunning finish. 

GM Volodar Murzin, playing Black against IM Shreyas Royal, caps off a sparkling attack with 28...Rfxc3!!. Just look at how it played out 👇.

#FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/dgUI5NlWrF

— chess24.com (@chess24com) November 3, 2023

GM Nodirbek Yakubboev sacrificed the same bishop twice to break down GM Sam Shankland's defenses.

GM Alireza Firouzja was on his way to a brilliant victory vs. GM Aravindh Chithambaram, amazingly also sacrificing the same bishop twice to open up his opponent's kingside.

We're seeing vintage Firouzja as he sacrifices his bishop twice, with 27.Bxh6! and 28.Bxg7!!, for a winning attack!#FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/Ove9bD8U61

— chess24.com (@chess24com) November 3, 2023

Yet, Aravindh saved the day with a queen sacrifice to shut down the attack and escape to the endgame. 

Queen Sacrifice or Blunder?

Was GM Nihal Sarin's 19...Qxd4 a queen sacrifice or a blunder?

Though it first appears to be an elementary blunder, it was a sacrifice that counted on Black’s knight, bishop, and soon-to-be passed a-pawn as adequate compensation for the queen. Unfortunately for Nihal, he overlooked GM Vincent Keymer’s reply, which contains a decisive tactical nuance. 

With this victory, Keymer has bounced back from his previous round loss, bringing him back to just a half-point away from the tournament leaders. 

In round 10, the American heavyweights, Nakamura and Caruana, will meet. Meanwhile, Deac will have the white pieces vs. Vidit, and Esipenko will have the first move advantage vs. Maghsoodloo. 

Round 9 Standings | Top 20 

(Full results here.)

Women's: Vaishali's Fighting Spirit Pays Off

With five minutes left on her clock in a tense duel, Vaishali decided to play ambitiously vs. Stefanova and fight for the win with Black. Her risk paid off, and she went on to successfully emerge from the time scramble with two extra pawns. 

What a day for Praggnanandhaa and Vaishali!

The brother won his game with two brilliant bishop moves, while his sister reached a winning endgame after the time scramble!#FIDEGrandSwiss pic.twitter.com/wjgmqGzvbq

— chess24.com (@chess24com) November 3, 2023

GM Tan Zhongyi joined GM Anna Muzychuk in a tie for second. Tan won a sharp fight vs. IM Sophie Milliet by awakening her bishop from the backrank to bulldoze into her opponent's kingside. 

IM Mai Narva defeated her fourth grandmaster of the event, top seed GM Aleksandra Goryachkina. In time trouble, with only a minute left on her clock, Narva sprung her pieces onto their ideal active posts to take over the center. 

In the penultimate round, Tan will have her shot at the top spot as she faces the leader, Vaishali. 

Round 9 Standings | Top 20 

The 2023 FIDE Grand Swiss (FGS) is one of the events of the FIDE World Championship cycle with the top two players qualifying for the 2024 Candidates Tournament. The FGS started on October 25 at 9:30 a.m. ET/15:30 CEST/19:00 IST and features a $460,000 prize fund.

The 2023 FIDE Women's Grand Swiss (FWGS) features a $140,000 prize fund and runs concurrently. The top two players qualify for the 2024 Women's Candidates Tournament.

Previous Coverage:

• Esipenko Sacs Piece On Move 8, Plays Brilliancy
• 'Express Train' Vidit Leads Open
• Nakamura Holds Co-leader Esipenko, 5 Players Join Lead
• Assaubayeva Leads Women's, Nakamura Scores Hat Trick In Open
• Esipenko Leads In Open, 4-Way Tie In Women's
• Vaishali Plays Brilliancy As Anna Muzychuk, Tan Take Lead
• Caruana Beats Niemann, Returns To 2800 Club
• Caruana Leads Pack Of 32 Winners
• FIDE Grand Swiss 2023: Who Will Qualify For A Shot At World Title?