Four at the top!

Efimenko is one of four leaders, and having drawn with Black today against Jobava has the advantage of playing with White tomorrow.
Nisipeanu, who beat Pelletier, and Timofeev, who overcame Skiborne, make up the four at the top.

On the top boards fifteen of these players started the day on 3.5 points. The exceptions being the top board, where Jobava and Efimenko still had a perfect score, and Zoltan Almasi who was on three points but floated up to play the 199th seed Tamir Nabaty!

The unknown junior from Israel doesn't yet have a FIDE title, but presumably won't have to wait for long on this performance, despite today's loss!

There were 66 players on 3/4 and, just to show how tough this event is, four 2700+ players only had 2.5/4.

The seventeen leading players come from thirteen different countries, with three coming from Russia (hardly surprising!) and three also from Roumania (hardly believable!).

Wins by Nisipeanu and Timofeev and a draw on the top board leaves the tournament with four leaders on 4.5/5.

1GMBaadur Jobava (4)GEO26950.5-0.5GMZahar Efimenko (4)UKR2640
2GMIvan SokolovBIH26380.5-0.5GMFrancisco Vallejo PonsESP2708
3GMViorel IordachescuMDA26210.5-0.5GMMichael Adams ENG2704
4GMErnesto InarkievRUS26670.5-0.5GMGergely-Andras-Gyula SzaboROU2525
5GMLiviu-Dieter NisipeanuROU26611-0GMYannick PelletierSUI2611
6GMConstantin LupulescuROU25980.5-0.5GMIan NepomniachtchiRUS2656
7GMArtyom TimofeevRUS26551-0IMJure SkoberneSLO2509
8GMNikita MaiorovBLR25100.5-0.5GMRauf MamedovAZE2639
9GMZoltan Almasi (3)HUN27201-0-Tamir NabatyISR2485
Monika Socko

Leader Monika Socko drew with the Black pieces against third seed Anna Muzychuk. Boards two to four featured the other players who were within half-a-point of the Polish Grandmaster, whose husband is playing in the men's event. Before the round, twenty-five players had three points, seven 3.5 and just the one had 100%.

The leading eight players representing eight different nationalities.

After five rounds, three women are now in the lead, Tatiana Kosintseva and Arakhamia-Grant joining Socko on 4.5/5.

The three nationalities at the top are a Russian, a Pole and a Scot (although Arakhamia was a Georgian at birth)!

1IMAnna Muzychuk (3.5)SLO25330.5-0.5GMMonika Socko (4)POL2465
2GMTatiana Kosintseva (3.5)RUS25241-0IMAlmira Skripchenko (3.5)FRA2456
3GMPia Cramling (3.5)SWE25230-1GMKetevan Arakhamia-Grant (3.5)SCO2447
4WGMLilit Galojan (3.5)ARM23800.5-0.5IMViktoija Cmilyte (3.5)LTU2485
5GMAntoaneta Stefanova (3)BUL25551-0IMEva Moser (3)AUT2437
6IMNadezhda Kosintseva (3)RUS25541-0IMMarina Romanko (3)RUS2409
7GMMarie Sebag (3)FRA25060.5-0.5IMNino Khurtsidze (3)GEO2434
8IMSvetlana Matveeva (3)RUS23731-0IMLela Javakhishvili (3)GEO2500

More information on the official tournament site


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