Azerbaijani grandmasters Aydin Suleymanli and Nijat Abasov continue to challenge for top positions at the European Chess Championship currently taking place in Katowice, Poland.
As reported by Idman.Biz, after eight rounds both Suleymanli and Abasov have collected 6.5 points and share places from second to tenth. On tie-breaks, they are ranked fourth and sixth respectively. Spain’s David Guijarro leads the standings outright with seven points.
In round eight, Suleymanli drew with Nikoloz Kacharava and will next face tournament leader Guijarro. Meanwhile, Abasov defeated Turkey’s Atilla Kum and is set to take on Benny Eisenberg in round nine.
After a slow start, Magomed Muradli is gaining ground. He beat Czech player Jiri Stocek in round eight and now sits 22nd with six points. Read Samadov is also performing solidly, occupying 36th place with 5.5 points.
The tournament consists of 11 rounds, with the top 20 players earning qualification spots for the 2027 Chess World Cup.
