Photo by Mikael Svensson
Ju-Korobov
Ju was slightly better in the opening, after playing Bb5+ against the Sicilian Defense. Korobov equalized with some exact moves, and started to put some pressure on, but Ju defended very well. When the game turned into a rook endgame, it looked like it was heading for a draw. However, suddenly Korobov made a terrible mistake, and after that, the game could not be saved.
Abdusattorov-Maurizzi
White the white pieces in the Catalan opening, Abdusattorov got a good position early on. After 20 moves, he converted his advantage into an extra pawn, and even if Maurizzi put up a clever defense, he could not save the game.
Svidler-Keymer
As white in the Ruy Lopez, Svidler got a comfortable position, but after a while, Keymer managed to create some counter-play against the white king, which had been left on e2. Finally, Svidler had to force a draw with 38.Bxb6.
Grandelius-Erigaisi
In his game against Erigaisi, Grandelius also chose Bb5+ against the Sicilian and rapidly developed a very promising position. Despite Grandelius being two pawns up, the opposite colored bishops made a draw the most probable result. When Erigaisi played 33.- Rb8, this was a bad mistake that might have cost him the game. In time trouble, Grandelius did not managed to find the winning moves. In the end, Erigaisi managed to make it into a rook endgame that was surprisingly easy to hold.
Abdusattorov-Erigaisi-Svidler Tiebreak
In the first tiebreak with three players, Erigaisi and Abdusattrov shared first place. Svidler lost both games, despite playing very well.
In the final play-off, Abdusattorov defeated Erigaisi 1½-½ after great drama. This meant that despite a bad start, the original favorite ended up the winner!