GM Mahammad Muradli (left) and Yousef A. Alhassadi, Category B winner, pose with their trophies.

Dubai: Grandmaster (GM) Mahammad Muradli claimed the 24th Dubai Open Chess Tournament title after a draw with China’s GM Changren Dai in Sunday’s final round at the Dubai Chess and Culture Club.

Muradli finished undefeated with seven points on five wins and four draws in the nine-round tournament, half a point ahead of Dai and five other players.

In category B, Libya’s Yousef A. Alhassadi took the title after a draw with the young Chinese player Zilong Yang in the final round. Alhassadi finished with 7.5 points, while Yang took second place with seven points.  

After the second-board match between India’s GM Raunak Sadhwani and China’s GM Di Li ended quickly in a draw, it was down to the first-board match between Muradli and Dai to decide the tournament winner, with Muradli only needing at least a draw to claim the title and Dai in a must-win situation to snatch the championship.

Muradli and Dai did not disappoint, showing up for the game with strong intentions to win and claim all the marbles.

The atmosphere was tense as they embarked on a thrilling contest, choosing the popular Najdorf variation of the Sicilian Defence. Both players meticulously followed a game played by the world number one, Magnus Carlsen, and the former Dubai Open champion, Wesley So.

This choice of opening indicated their deep preparation and strategic acumen, setting the stage for an intense battle.

Muradli, wielding the black pieces, introduced a novelty by deviating from the Carlsen-So game on move 12. This unexpected move immediately created a complex and dynamic position on the board.

However, the deviation quickly backfired as Muradli found his queen being chased around by Dai’s well-coordinated pieces. The Azerbaijan player, realizing the precarious situation, decided on a bold and creative sacrifice.

He gave up his queen in exchange for a bishop and a rook, a decision that aimed to create a fortress and maintain a solid defensive structure.

Dai, playing the white pieces, demonstrated great patience and skill. He methodically probed Muradli’s defensive setup, looking for weaknesses and opportunities to break through. Despite the material advantage, Dai found it challenging to penetrate the fortress Muradli had established. For nearly 20 moves, Dai tested the resilience of Muradli’s position, trying various tactical and strategic ideas.

In the end, Muradli’s tenacious defense held firm. After an arduous and mentally exhausting battle, both players agreed to a draw on move 41. The game was a testament to their high level of play, showcasing not only their opening preparation but also their middle-game tactics and endgame prowess. The draw was a fair result, reflecting the balanced nature of the contest and the respect both players had for each other’s abilities.

Sadhwani and Li had a chance to move further up the standings, but the duo elected to play a risk-free game, blitzing out their moves on the way to a 31-move draw in a completely equal rook endgame to secure their spots at joint second place with 6.5 points each.

Dai placed second on tiebreaks, Sadhwani was fourth, while Li placed seventh. Other players who finished with 6.5 points were IM Yuanhe Zhao of China (third place), IM Sina Movahed of Iran (fifth), and GM Eltaj Safarli of Azerbaijan (sixth).

Completing the top 10 in Category A were FM Erik Hakobyan of Armenia, IM Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus of Turkey, and GM S.P. Sethuraman of India, who finished with six points each.

The special awards went to IM Lee Junhyeok of South Korea (2300-2399 rating category) and GM Iniyan Pa of India (2400-2499).  

In Category B, FM Bakhyt Temirov of Kazakhstan, the UAE’s Saif Ahmed and AGM Vishal Choudary of India also finished with seven points to take the third to fifth places. Wang Hao of China, WIM Srishti Pandey of India, FM Prince Daniel Mulenga of Zambia, Anas Khwaira of Jordan, and Menandro Redor of the Philippines completed the top 10 with 6.5 points each.

The special awards winners were Saeed Alnuaimi Gaith of the UAE (1600-1799 rating category) and AIM Vihaan Dumir of India (1800-1999).