The Sinquefield Cup, annually the strongest invitational tournament in the U.S., got off to a less than stellar start at the Chess Club of St. Louis, with just two decisive games two through Sunday's Round 5 and Polish GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda pulling out of the 10-grandmaster field after Round 1, citing ill health.
Alexey Sarana became the 2023 European champion after signing a 7-move draw with co-leader Kirill Shevchenko. That draw meant both players had secured at least shared first place, but still had to wait to see if someone else would join them on a final 8½/11 score. Out of the chasers, only Daniel Dardha managed to catch up with the leaders. Tiebreak criteria were used to decide the final placements. In the end, Sarana grabbed gold, Shevchenko took home silver and Dardha was awarded the bronze. | Photos: European Chess Union
As the end of the European Championship approaches, two players share the lead on 8/10 points. Kirill Shevchenko joined Alexey Sarana atop the standings after beating Benjamin Gledura with the white pieces. Twelve players stand a half point behind with one round to go in Vrnjacka Banja. | Photos: European Chess Union
Anton Korobov won the all-Ukrainian matchup against Ruslan Ponomariov to take the lead at the European Championship in Serbia. Korobov is the only player to have won his five first games at the extremely competitive event. Four players, including two underdogs, stand a half point behind. | Photos: European Chess Union