Keymer-Svidler
The players found some interesting maneuvers in the English Opening. The game was balanced, but after the risky 24.Rfb1, Svidler could have secured an advantage with 24…e4, with the idea of bringing the bishop to f6. When he did not find this move, the game soon moved into a drawn endgame.
Van Foreest-Erigaisi
Van Foreest played the Four Knights Spanish, and managed to apply some pressure in the middlegame. He converted this into an endgame with an extra pawn, where both players had two rooks. With exact play, Erigaisi should have been able to defend, but a serious error, 47…Kg8, gave Van Foreest the chance to simplify into a won pawn endgame.
Gukesh-Mishra
In the Najdorf Sicilian, Gukesh soon put some pressure on Mishra, but the American defended well, and might even have gotten the upper hand in the following time trouble. After 40 moves, all possibilities were exhausted, and the players agreed on a draw.
Grandelius-Gelfand
In a sharp variation in the Sicilian, both players seemed to be well prepared. After 21 fast moves, Grandelius played 22.Rd1, possibly a new move. This gave him three pieces in exchange for the queen, and a very promising position. However, Gelfand defended well, and after another ten moves, the game ended with a draw by repetition.
