Nepomniachtchi outfoxes Alekseev in Havana

There was no quarter given in the all-Russian encounter between Evgeny Alekseev and Ian Nepomniachtchi, the latter outplaying his compatriot to notch up his first win.
The leaders drew in their game so Vassily Ivanchuk is still one point ahead of Nigel Short.

It was quite instructive how Nepomniachtchi organised pressure against White's weak d3-pawn, and Alekseev could do nothing to prevent Black obtaining a rook endgame with an extra pawn. Nepomniachtchi's technique earned him his first win and he now joins Dominguez in equal third.

WhiteRatingCountryResultBlackCountryRatingNo. MovesOpening
Evgeny Alekseev2700RUS0-1Ian Nepomniachtchi2695RUS66English opening
Vassily Ivanchuk2741UKR0.5-0.5Nigel Short2685ENG27Keres defence
Lazaro Bruzon Batista2668CUB0.5-0.5Leinier Dominguez Perez2713CUB14Queen's Gambit Accepted

The Cubans weren't in fighting mood and their uneventful draw didn't last very long.

Between them they now have eleven draws and one loss.

Dominguez: only draws so far

Vassily Ivanchuk managed to keep some pressure as he prevented Nigel Short from freeing his position for quite some time. However, at the end, the Englishman was poised to fully equalize with the thematic ...c5-break so Ivanchuk acquiesced to a shared point.

PositionNameCountryOfficial RatingHighest ever RatingVirtual Rating before HavanaWorld rankingAgePoints after 6 rounds
1stVassily IvanchukUKR27412787272612414.5
2ndNigel ShortENG26852712268348453.5
3rd-4thLeinier Dominguez PerezCUB27132721271328263
3rd-4thIan NepomniachtchiRUS2695Actual269542193
5thLazaro Bruzon BatistaCUB26682677266863282.5
6thEvgeny AlekseevRUS27002725271137291.5

Alekseev his having a rough time as he has already lost three games.

Ivanchuk stays a point ahead of Short who will perhaps need to win twice in order to catch the Ukrainian.

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