Today in Madrid, the 6th tournament of applicants is held in Madrid. Azerbaijani grandmaster Teimur Rajabov plays white figures with Hungarian Richard Rapport.
Thymur after 5 rounds had 2 points, and he shared the 6-8th position. Rapport had 2.5 points, located on 3-5 places.
The party with the Hungarian grandmaster for Rajabov is most likely the last chance to win at least one victory in the first round. On the last game day of the first circle, on the 7th round, he will be waiting for the party with black against one of the favorites of the American Fabiano Karuana, and there certainly does not have to count on victory.
Recall that in the 1st round, Rajabov played white with the Frenchman Alireza Firuja. Then, the Azerbaijani grandmaster lost to the American to the American Hikar Nakamur, and in the 3rd round made a quick draw of white with the Russian Yan Nepomnya. After a day of rest, Teimur, playing with black figures, made peace with the Poles Yang-Kryshtof Duda, and yesterday tied white with Chinese Dean Liezhenet.
Today they also play: Alice Firuja (France) – Fabiano Caruan (USA), Hikaru Nakamura (USA) – Dean Liezhen (China), Yan Nepomnya (Russia) – Yan -Kshishtof Duda (Poland).
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Tournament position after the 5th round:
1. Nonal – 3.5 points; 2. Karuana – 3 points; 3-5. Nakamura, rapport, Duda – 2.5 points each; 6-8. Din, Rajabov, Firuja – 2 points.
The competition takes place in two circles. Time control – 2 hours for the first 40 moves, 1 hour for the next 20 moves, 15 minutes for the rest of the party with the addition of 30 seconds starting from the 61st move.
If the chess players fighting in the 1st place will gain the same number of points according to the results of 14 rounds, then they will find a tie-break-two batches in quick chess, and if necessary, then blitz until the strongest is determined.
The winner of the tournament will receive 48 thousand euros and the right to challenge the championship crown in a match with the current world champion Magnus Karlsen. True, the Norwegian himself has repeatedly stated that he was not very interested to play a champion match again, noting that he would like to meet with Aliraza Firuja in the struggle for a chess crown. If Carlsen refuses to protect the title, then chess players who took 1st and 2nd places in the applicants’ tournament will compete for the title of world champion.