In the 11th round of the competition, Nodirbek Abdusattorov drew the match against Jorden van Foreest from the Netherlands. A "draw" on paper is a simple result, but in the context of the tournament, this decision was both a smart and calculated move.
After this draw, our compatriot reached 7 points and firmly held the top spot in the table. But with only 2 rounds remaining, the gap with the pursuers sharply narrowed - now every half point is as valuable as "gold."
As for the party itself, it was felt that a draw was enough for Abdusattorov. First, he played with black pieces - which always requires a little caution. Secondly, taking a big risk for victory was very risky: entering an open battle and "opening" the position to snatch 1 point, there was a possibility of losing the opportunity altogether. In short, there is a concept of "necessary result" here - and Nodirbek got exactly that.
Before the game, there was also an assumption that the host chess player would try to win. Because a single victory could have taken him to the top of the table. But he didn't take much risk either: the rook c1 - king g2, the rook c2 - king f1 moves were repeated twice, and the match ended in a draw. As a result, van Foreest reached 6.5 points and is currently in second place.
Now the most interesting thing is ahead: Abdusattorov will face very difficult trials in the next two rounds. In the 12th round, he moved pieces against German Matias Bluebaum. In the final round, he will face one of the most famous Indian chess players, Arjun Erigaisi.
The current situation says one thing: the lead is maintained, but there is no "autopilot" mode. Now each game is like a final. For the fans, the mood is ready: in the last two rounds, we expect Nodirbek to show composure, accurate scores, and a level of attention where "there's no room for a single mistake."
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