2024-04-14 06:16:35
Our chess star Nurgul Salimova achieved her fifth draw at the World Title Contenders tournament in Toronto.
With white pieces in an eighth-round game, the 20-year-old Bulgarian played for five and a half hours with Ukrainian Anna Muzychik before the two agreed to share the point on the 120th move.
Salimova certainly has something to regret, as she led the game throughout, but this advantage failed to materialize into decisive pressure. The only real opportunity that opened up for the finalist from the last edition of the World Cup was on move 54, where she had to take the knight on e5 with her rook to get a winning position. However, Salimova was pressed for time and missed this detail, but Muzichuk never made a mistake.
With the added half point, the chess player born in the village of Krepcha collected 3.5 points, with which she ranks fifth in the standings with six rounds remaining. Muzichuk is seventh with 3 points.
The first position is shared with 5 points by the Russian Alexandra Goryachkina and the Chinese Lei Tingjie and Tang Zhongyi. Goryachkina drew with the other Russian – Katerina Lagno (4.5 points), while Tingjie inflicted her first loss since the start of the tournament on Zhony, reports BTA.
In the ninth round, Salimova will play with the black pieces against Lei Tingjie.
The winner of the tournament will play for the world title against current champion Jiu Wenjun of China.