Nodirbek Abdusattorov led the 2023 Tata Steel Masters after every single round before the last, where he took a half-point lead into a game with White against the lowest-rated player. There was every chance he would wrap up victory with minimal fuss, but instead, we got a thriller. When the dust had settled, Anish Giri had won the trophy without the need for a playoff.

Final rankings:

Chess24 live video broadcast with commentaries by Peter Svidler and David Howell:

Featured photo by Lennart Ootes Tata Steel Tournament 2023

Magnus Carlsen yesterday defeated Parham Maghsoodloo, scoring his third victory in the last four rounds, and now ties for third place with Wesley So.

Most of yesterday’s Masters games finished in a draw, and there are no significant changes on the rankings. With only three rounds to go, it will be an interesting finish at the Tata Steel Masters. The event continues tomorrow at 14:00 CEST.

Rankings after 10 played rounds:

The German grandmaster yesterday defeated Max Warmerdam with black pieces to join Yilmaz on the top. Donchenko had a slightly better endgame which ended in his favor after Warmerdam’s bad 30.Re1?? mistake.

Mustafa Yilmaz played against Adhiban Baskaran yesterday and the game finished in an uneventful draw after only 27 moves of play. Reaching the score of 7/10 points, Yilmaz secured himself a lead before the last rest day at the tournament.

Velimir Ivic was in the race for the top but suffered a bad loss to Luis Paulo Supi. Ivic had the advantage for most of the game, but it was hard to convert it into a victory. Eventually, the Brazilian equalized and Ivic made a huge mistake, eventually losing the game.

The other games finished in a draw and after 10 played rounds, Mustafa Yilmaz and Alexander Donchenko are half a point ahead of Javokhir Sindarov who scores 6.5/10 points. Velimir Ivic and Amin Tabatabaei follow with 6 points, each.

Rankings after 10 rounds:

Chess24 live video broadcast with commentaries by Peter Svidler and David Howell:

Featured photo by: Lennart Ootes Tata Steel Tournament 2023

It was a thrilling game between Vincent Keymer and Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Keymer was slightly better from the opening, reaching the winning rooks endgame after almost 5 hours of play. However, he missed his chances to take off the leader, and after 80.Rb6, Abdusattorov managed to hold a draw.

Anish Giri defeated Ding Liren with Black pieces. Giri reached a pleasant position in the middlegame and won the pawn after Ding Liren’s mistake 28.Nf4? The game lasted only 9 more moves and the Chinese grandmaster was forced to resign.

Richard Rapport won against Arjun Erigaisi in the 25-move miniature. Rapport, having black, built a very interesting attacking position and the Indian teen didn’t find a way to defend.

All the other games finished in draw. Rankings after 9 played rounds:

After yesterday’s free day, the games will continue today from 14:00 CEST, and the live broadcast will start with 15-min delay due to the anti-cheating measures.

The 9th round brings interesting encounters: Nodirbek Abdusattorov will be black against Vincent Keymer, Anish Giri goes against Ding Liren, Wesley So will play black against Parham Maghsoodloo. // LIVE games

Round 9 pairings:

Parham Maghsoodloo – Wesley So
Magnus Carlsen – Gukesh D
Praggnanandhaa – Fabiano Caruana
Arjun Erigaisi – Richard Rapport
Levon Aronian – Jorden van Foreest
Vincent Keymer – Nodirbek Abdusattorov
Ding Liren – Anish Giri

After yesterday’s free day, the games will continue today from 14:00 CEST, and the live broadcast will start with 15-min delay due to the anti-cheating measures.

The 9th round brings interesting encounters: Velimir Ivic will play as black against top-seeded Amin Tabatabaei, Alexander Donchenko has white against Erwin L’Ami, Mustafa Yilmaz will be the favorite in his today’s game against Vaishali. // LIVE games

Round 9 pairings:

Amin Tabatabaei – Velimir Ivic
Thomas Beerdsen – Max Warmerdam
Alexander Donchenko – Erwin L’Ami
Javokhir Sindarov – Abhimanyu Mishra
Vaishali R – Mustafa Yilmaz
Adhiban B – Eline Roebers
Jergus Pechac – Luis Paulo Supi

Chess24 live video broadcast with commentaries by Peter Svidler and David Howell:

Featured photo by Lennart Ootes Tata Steel Tournament 2023

Abdusattorov yesterday played a draw against Levon Aronian. The 18-year-old Uzbekistani grandmaster had White pieces and reached a completely closed position without chances for a better result. The players agreed for a draw in the 31st move.

Magnus Carlsen won his second game in a row, this time against Fabiano Caruana. Carlsen, having black, equalized in the early middlegame. Caruana made a bad mistake with 22.Bc2 and Carlsen got the decisive advantage which he easily transformed into a victory.

Yesterday’s 8th round saw another three decisive results: Richard Rapport won against Praggnanandhaa, Jorden van Foreest defeated Arjun Erigaisi, and Gukesh claimed a victory against Parham Maghsoodloo.

Today is the second free day of the event, and games will continue tomorrow, January 24th, starting at 14:00 CEST.

Rankings after 8 played rounds: