Javokhir Sindarov leads the open section after Round 12 on Sunday. | Photo Credit: Michal Walusza/FIDE

It was in stark contrast to his fifth-round outing, when Hikaru Nakamura (5.5) took over an hour for a single move, as his Round 12 clash against Open section leader Javokhir Sindarov (9) ended in a draw in under 45 minutes on Sunday. Anish Giri (7) was also held by Wei Yi (5.5), allowing Sindarov to head into the rest day on Monday with a two-point lead.

Sindarov opened with 1. d4, and the game soon transitioned into a Catalan-style setup with g3 and Bg2. Nakamura chose a solid theoretical line, conceding central space but gaining the bishop pair.

Between moves nine and 26, the players exchanged queens and most of the minor pieces. By move 26 (Rd1 Rxd1), the position had been stripped of its major attacking potential. Sindarov held a slightly better king position, but Nakamura’s bishops provided sufficient compensation.

With little scope for progress, both players shuffled their pieces before agreeing to a draw.

On the other board, GM Anish saw a golden opportunity to climb the standings slip through his fingers. Dominating much of the mid-game, Giri steered the match into a highly favourable endgame where a full point seemed inevitable. His strategic pressure forced Wei Yi into a desperate defensive shell.

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However, the tide turned during the frantic final scramble. Under severe time pressure, Giri fumbled his advantage by failing to find the clinical killing blow.

Instead of tightening the noose, a series of repetitive checks allowed Wei Yi to escape. By move 77, with neither side able to break the deadlock, Giri was forced to settle for a frustrating draw via threefold repetition.

Other results saw India’s R. Praggnanandhaa draw against Andrey Esipenko, while Matthias Bluebaum held Fabiano Caruana to a draw.

Published on Apr 12, 2026