Muscat: Mongolia's Dashtogtokh Amarsaikhan secured his eighth consecutive win confirming his top position and the title of the men’s category U-2000 before the final rounds in the World Amateur Chess Championships Oman 2023.
On Thursday, the eighth round's first moves were made by Hussein Abdullah al Khayari, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Chess Club, at the main hall of the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex in Bausher.
The eighth round of the tournament witnessed intense competition among the players, with some managing to secure top positions for their countries while others experienced a setback. The eighth round saw players from Mongolia and Kazakhstan leading in all four categories. The competition is expected to reach its peak in the final ninth round, as all players aim to secure victories and potentially overturn the results. The rankings remain subject to change, especially in direct confrontations between the front-runners.
In eighth round, Mongolia's Dashtogtokh Amarsaikhan secured his eighth consecutive win, confirming his top position in men's under 2000, before the final round with a total of 8 points. He outperformed his closest competitors by a margin of 1.5 points. In an intense match during the eighth round against India's Ragavesh Velavaa, which lasted for more than 4 hours, Amarsaikhan successfully employed high-level tactics and emerged victorious to confirm his top spot in this category. India's R Sham holds the second position with 6.5 points.
In the men's under 2300, competition escalated after the eighth round, with Abilmansur Abdilkhair leading with 7 points, half a point ahead of his closest competitors. Abdilkhair missed the opportunity to confirm his lead by drawing in an exciting game with India's Kartavya Anadkat. Mongolia's Naranbold Sodbilegt is second with 6.5 points, and the competition will be renewed in the final round where the two players will compete in a strong game.
In the men's under 1700, significant changes occurred after the eighth round, with Ganbat Danzanjunai from Mongolia taking the lead with 7.5 points. His thrilling victory over Fide player Aleksandr Martynov shifted the balance, as Aleksandr moved to second with 7 points after leading in the first seven rounds. Thus, the decision for the first-place position is postponed to the final round.
In the women's under 1700, the results were not decisively settled in the eighth round.
The competition continues with Bat-Amgalan Anujin from Mongolia leading with 6.5 points after drawing in the eighth match against India's Arun Aditi. Following closely is her team-mate Tsogdelger Anudari with the same score, and the excitement will persist until the final round.
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