After three rounds, the Uzbek duo remains at the top. Czechs are also thriving
The eighth edition of the Prague International Chess Festival has completed the first three rounds of its main tournaments. The biggest stars are still waiting for their moment, but an excellent start has been made by Uzbek grandmasters Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Nodirbek Yakubboev.
Abdusattorov dealt with the reigning Prague champion Aravindh Chithambaram and then added two draws. Newcomer Yakubboev, who won the Challengers last year, split the point with Hans Niemann and Gukesh D., and claimed a full point in his duel with David Anton Guijarro.
The biggest name in this year’s Masters, Gukesh Dommaraju, has so far remained slightly below expectations. In the third round, Jorden Van Foreest also scored his first-ever victory against the reigning world champion and is among the leaders with two points as well. To the delight of the home crowd, David Navara has the same score after some good games.
Gukesh D with Jorden Van Foreest (photo: Tomáš Krist)
The Czechs are also representing brilliantly in the second performance category. It is led by Václav Finěk with two wins and one draw. Close behind him are Jáchym Němec and Štěpán Hrbek, both of whom scored an upset against the current women’s world number two, Jiner Zhu. Jonas Buhl Bjerre and last year’s Karel Janeček Open winner Thomas Beerdsen have also enjoyed a solid start to the tournament. The two women in the Challengers played a preview of the upcoming Candidates Tournament. It was Jiner Zhu who came out on top, punishing mistakes by Divya Deshmukh in the endgame.
In the Futures category, two players maintain a perfect score. Home player Zuzana Stará defeated Alona Tomalceva in the third round, while Italy’s Clio Alessi overcame Poland’s Kaja Rzadkowska. Third place with two points is held by Switzerland’s Christina Jordan.
Zuzana Stará in Futures (photo: Tomáš Krist)
Before the rest day, the players in the main tournaments still have two rounds to play. You can follow them every day on our live streams on the festival’s YouTube channel, or you can visit the venue in person at Hotel Don Giovanni. All rounds start at 3:00 PM. You can also vote for the best game of the day on our website. As part of the rest day on Monday, we invite you to the Grand Hotel Prague Towers for a day dedicated to women’s chess. There will be simultaneous exhibitions, games by leading Czech female players, and you will also have the chance to meet the Futures tournament ambassador, former world number one Pia Cramling.