Sheikh Majid Bin Sultan Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Imran Abdullah Al Nuaimi and other dignitaries during the eighth round of Sharjah Masters.

The battle for the coveted Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship title intensified as three players are sharing lead heading into the final round.

The 7th Sharjah Masters is being held under the patronage of His Highness Dr. Sheikh Sultan Bin Mohammed Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah.

It’s organised by the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club with the participation of 300 players from 60 countries, including more than 160 players, including Grandmasters (GM), International Masters (IM), FIDE Masters (FM), and Women Grandmasters (WGM), as well as International Women Masters (WIM). The tournament offers a total prize purse of a whopping $65,000.

Russian Grandmaster Volodar Murzin joined Sam Shankland and Bardiya Daneshvar in the leading group after handing Indian Grandmaster Aravindh Chithambaram his second consecutive loss in the eighth round of tournament on Tuesday.

Seven players including defending champion and top seed Arjun Erigaisi and Parham Maghsoodloo, Salem Abdul Rahman Saleh Aydin Suleymanli and Shamsiddin Vokhidov are just half a point behind the leaders.

Young star from Russia, Murzin crushed Chithambaram’s Sicilian Defence with a tactical onslaught in the queenless middlegame. Chithambaram’s missed opportunities proved costly as Mulzin first snatched a pawn, then apiece, to secure a decisive victory.

Grandmaster Arjun was held to a draw by Alexey Sarana of Serbia. Erigaisi and Sarana played a strategic cat-and-mouse game in a Queen’s gambit declined. Arjun’s opening choice was met with a solid response from Sarana, leading to a balanced endgame where neither player saw an advantage. They opted for a safe draw, preserving their positions for the crucial final round.

Salem, the star of both the UAE national team and Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club, secured a crucial victory in the penultimate round against Czech Republic’s Thai Dai Van Nguyen.

Iranian Grandmaster Tabatabaei, winners of the the fourth edition of Sharjah Masters, drew with Azerbaijan’s Suleymanli.

In the Challengers Championship, Divya Deshmukh of India drew with Russian veteran Vladimir Burmakin ended in a draw. Despite the draw, Divya maintained lead at the top. Indian Nitish Belurkar lost to Leya Garifullina.

Earlier, Sheikh Majid Bin Sultan Bin Saqr Al Qasimi, Head of the Department of Suburbs and Villages Affairs in Sharjah, opened the proceedings of the eighth round of the seventh edition of the Sharjah Masters International Chess Championship.

Dr Sheikh Khalid Bin Humaid Al Qasimi, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sharjah Cultural & Chess Club, Taryam Matar Taryam, President of the UAE Chess Federation; Imran Abdullah Al Nuaimi, Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Sharjah Cultural & Chess; Faisal Al Naboodah, Director Of marketing and Public Relations at Sharjah Cooperative Society; Ali Abbas, president of the Syrian Chess Federation; Fawzi Bou, president  of Libyan Chess Federation; Raed Al Hammoud, Secretary General of the Lebanese Chess Federation; Khloud Al Zarouni, Member of the UAE Chess Federation, and a large number of fans were also present.