"I like number 1!" was Magnus Carlsen’s short answer to a long question about numbers from Ljubomir Ljubojević, and Magnus is no. 1 again in Shamkir after beating Veselin Topalov in Round 7. He leads going into the final two rounds, but his upcoming opponents, Anish Giri and Ding Liren, are just half a point behind. They both took advantage of meltdowns from David Navara, who blundered tactically in Round 6 and then gave one of the most extraordinary explanations you’ll ever hear for mixing up his preparation in Round 7.

You can replay all the Shamkir Chess games using the selector below – click on a result to open the game with computer analysis or hover over a player’s name to see all his results and pairings: Read more...

Source: chess24.com