Azerbaijani grandmaster Shakhriyar Mamedyarov remains in contention for the title in the Masters tournament of the UzChess Cup festival currently taking place in Tashkent.
As reported by İdman.Biz, ahead of the final round Mamedyarov has collected 4.5 points and shares third-fourth place with Russian grandmaster Jan Nepomniachtchi, edging him on tiebreak criteria. The Azerbaijani star trails tournament leaders Shamsiddin Vokhidov and Mukhiddin Madaminov of Uzbekistan by just half a point.
Mamedyarov has enjoyed a strong run in the last three rounds, defeating Greek grandmaster Nikolaos Theodorou and Uzbekistan's Nodirbek Yakubboev, while also drawing with Shamsiddin Vokhidov. In the final round, the Azerbaijani will face Nepomniachtchi in a crucial encounter. To claim the tournament title, Mamedyarov will need to win his game and hope the leaders drop points.
Meanwhile, the Challenge tournament, the second-most prestigious event of the Uzbek chess festival, has already been won by another Azerbaijani grandmaster, Magomed Muradli.
After eight rounds, Muradli has scored an impressive 7 points out of a possible 8. His closest challengers trail him by 2.5 points, a substantial margin by chess standards and clear evidence of his dominance throughout the tournament. Muradli's campaign has included six victories and two draws.
Another Azerbaijani participant, Eltaj Safarli, is currently eighth among the ten players in the Challenge event with 3 points.
