GM Jobava catches up with GM Inarkiev to share first at the EICC

12 GMs are half a point behind

GM Baadur Jobava won his round 8 game against the leader GM Andrei Volokitin, to surpass him with half a point and share the lead with GM Ernesto Inarkiev. Inarkiev, who was sole leader of the event a few rounds earlier, took a full point from GM Papaioannou and will have to face GM Jobava with black in round 9. (Selected games bellow)

A total of 12 players are half a point behind the leaders of the European Individual Chess Championship, including GM Georg Meier, GM David Navara, GM Andrei Volokitin, GM Sanan Sjugirov, GM Evgeny Tomashevsky, GM Dmitry Bocharov, GM Ivan Sokolov, GM Vladimir Malakhov, GM Boris Grachev, GM Gadir Guseinov, GM Rauf Mamedov, and GM Tomy Nyback.

Notable is the performance of FM Vugar Rasulov, who played a total of 8 games against GMs (previous report here) and did not lose a single one. He drew with GM Kobalia in round 8 and won against GM Sedlak in round 7 to be only a point behind the leaders and with 53 ELO points increase.

Round 8 standings of the European Individual Chess Championship

1 GM Inarkiev Ernesto RUS 2656 6.5
2 GM Jobava Baadur GEO 2669 6.5
3 GM Meier Georg GER 2608 6
4 GM Sjugirov Sanan RUS 2562 6
5 GM Volokitin Andrei UKR 2671 6
6 GM Tomashevsky Evgeny RUS 2664 6
7 GM Bocharov Dmitry RUS 2647 6
8 GM Sokolov Ivan NED 2657 6
9 GM Grachev Boris RUS 2655 6
10 GM Navara David CZE 2638 6
11 GM Malakhov Vladimir RUS 2692 6
12 GM Guseinov Gadir AZE 2661 6
13 GM Mamedov Rauf AZE 2638 6
14 GM Nyback Tomi FIN 2644 6
15 GM Banikas Hristos GRE 2582 5.5
16 GM Fedorchuk Sergey A UKR 2633 5.5
17 GM Kobalia Mikhail RUS 2634 5.5
18 GM Bartel Mateusz POL 2594 5.5
19 GM Naiditsch Arkadij GER 2693 5.5
20 GM Timofeev Artyom RUS 2671 5.5
21 GM Cheparinov Ivan BUL 2679 5.5
22 GM Van Wely Loek NED 2625 5.5
23 GM Brkic Ante CRO 2550 5.5
24 GM Romanov Evgeny RUS 2576 5.5
25 GM Kurnosov Igor RUS 2602 5.5
26 GM Dreev Alexey RUS 2688 5.5
27 GM Areshchenko Alexander UKR 2673 5.5
28 GM Andriasian Zaven ARM 2564 5.5
29 FM Rasulov Vugar AZE 2391 5.5
30 GM Lupulescu Constantin ROU 2608 5.5
31 GM Bologan Viktor MDA 2687 5.5
32 GM Mikhalevski Victor ISR 2608 5.5
33 GM Papaioannou Ioannis GRE 2609 5.5
34 GM Wojtaszek Radoslaw POL 2608 5.5
35 GM Mastrovasilis Athanasios GRE 2485 5.5
36 GM Fressinet Laurent FRA 2666 5.5
37 GM Savic Miodrag R SRB 2525 5.5
38 GM Riazantsev Alexander RUS 2634 5.5
39 GM Georgiev Kiril BUL 2634 5.5
40 GM Rodshtein Maxim ISR 2650 5.5
41 GM Stevic Hrvoje CRO 2592 5.5
42 GM Motylev Alexander RUS 2676 5.5
43 GM L'Ami Erwin NED 2603 5.5
44 GM Aleksandrov Aleksej BLR 2636 5.5

Total: 309 participants

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