Tournament leader Grandmaster (GM) Mahammad Muradli faced a tough challenge from 13-year-old Turkish prodigy GM-elect Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in the sixth round of the 24th Dubai Open Chess Tournament at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club.
Playing black, Erdogmus strategically placed a protected passed pawn on the c3-square, posing a constant threat to Muradli. However, Muradli responded with counterplay on the d-file using his rooks, putting pressure on Erdogmus's queen. In a time-pressured situation, Erdogmus exchanged queens, leading to a theoretically drawn rook endgame which Muradli comfortably held, maintaining his position as the sole leader with five points.
In joint second place with 4.5 points are GM Pa Iniyan, IM Aronyak Ghosh, and Turkish prodigy Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. GM Raunak Sadhwani made a strong comeback with a win over GM S.P. Sethuraman, while Serbia’s GM Velimir Ivic and Iran's IM Sina Movahed also have 4.5 points each.
In Category B, local hero Fide Master (FM) Ahmed Fareed and Libya’s Yousef A. Alhassadi lead with 5.5 points after securing victories in their respective matchups.
The seventh round is scheduled to commence at 5pm on Friday at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club.
