Idman.biz
Azerbaijani grandmaster Nijat Abasov has taken the lead at the European Individual Chess Championship held in Katowice, Poland.
Idman.Biz reports that Abasov won against Israeli Benni Ayzenberg in the 9th round of the continental championship.
This was Nijat's sixth victory in the current tournament, and the third in a row. He shares 1st-2nd places with Spaniard David Guijarro with 7.5 points. However, Abasov leads the tournament table according to additional indicators.
It should be noted that Guijarro was the sole leader of the tournament table with 7 points until the 9th round. However, in this round, he drew with another Azerbaijani grandmaster, Aydin Suleymanli. Suleymanli, like Abasov, has not yet faced defeat in Katowice. He has 7 points and is in 5th place. Thus, a kind of team play of Azerbaijani chess players is observed at the European Championship: Suleymanli took half a point from the Spaniard, creating the conditions for Abasov to rise to the lead.
In the next - 10th round, Nijat will face Guijarro. Suleymanli will face Lithuanian Valerij Kazakovski.
Another Azerbaijani chess player, Muhammad Muradli, who scored 7 points, is in 12th place according to additional indicators. He won against Pole Jan Malek in the 9th round and will play against a Latvian opponent in the next round.
The chances of other Azerbaijani chess players to get into the top "20" of the European Championship are more theoretical in nature. This gives a ticket to the 2027 World Cup.
Thus, Riad Samadov, Khagan Ahmad, and Khazar Babazada scored 6 points each and are in 45th, 53rd, and 84th places, respectively. They can continue their chances for a ticket only if they win the last two games (and Samadov, who has better additional indicators, to a greater extent) under certain conditions.
