Added on 3/31/2022
The surprises never end in this 3rd leg of the FIDE Grand Prix. While we all expected a draw between Mameryarov and Nakamura, which punctually happened, nobody expected Wesley So to lose to the young Iranian talent Tabatabaei! Mame and Naka didn't risk anything, after the draw they had yesterday. The game flowed without any bumps, and the two agreed on a draw at move 51, with three pawns and a knight each on the board.
Semifinals G1 G2 R1 R2 B1 B2 Armageddon PTS Nakamura 1/2 1/2 1.0 Mamedyarov 1/2 1/2 1.0In the second semifinal, Tabatabaei was in a must-win situation, after he lost the first semis game, yesterday. Right after the opening, Wesley had a slight advantage, and knowing the strength of the American, nobody would have thought what was going to happen. At move 23, Wesley went for a totally unsound knight pseudo-sac! The knight could not be taken, but the move was nonetheless a huge blunder, which allowed Amin to get into a winning position in three moves.
Semifinals G1 G2 R1 R2 B1 B2 Armageddon PTS Wesley So 1 0 1.0 Tabatabaei 0 1 1.0Tomorrow, the four players will play the tiebreaks. First, two Rapid games (15+10). If still tied, two Blitz games (3+2). If still tied, the Armageddon final game will decide. Play starts at 9 AM EDT, 15:00 Berlin (CEST), 13:00 UTC.