Anna Zatonskih wins Cairns Cup with one round to spare chessbase.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chessbase.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
In the most thrilling match of the tournament so far, Levon Aronian knocked out Fabiano Caruana to remain alive in the elimination bracket, where he is set to face Leinier Dominguez next. In the women’s elimination bracket, Nazi Paikidze and Gulrukhbegim Tokhirjonova were the winners of the day and will face off on Wednesday. Meanwhile, in the champions brackets, draws were seen in both sections. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes
Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So advanced to the final match of the champions bracket in the open section of the American Cup after beating Leinier Dominguez and Fabiano Caruana respectively. Among the women, Irina Krush and Alice Lee scored 1½-½ wins to set up a rematch from last year’s edition in the final. The losers of the day still have chances to win both events, via the elimination brackets. | Photo: Saint Louis Chess Club / Lennart Ootes
Eight years ago, at the Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea, when the Indian and Iranian women were fighting for the kabaddi gold medal, an Iranian player’s hijab slipped. The Indian women immediately surrounded her and covered her face, and the hijab was put back in place. It was a heart-warm
Fabiano Caruana remains in pole position at the U.S. Championship, but his lead has narrowed to a half point after Ray Robson scored a third consecutive victory in Thursday’s eighth round. Robson defeated an out-of-form Elshan Moradiabadi and now stands in sole second place a full point ahead of a big pack sharing the third spot on 4½/8 points. Meanwhile, Megan Lee also scored a hat-trick and is now the sole leader in the women’s tournament. | Photo: Lennart Ootes