Azerbaijani and Indian grandmasters lead the Baku Open

?? English (Reuters-style):
Azerbaijani, Indian players lead Baku Open after three rounds

BAKU, April 30 — Azerbaijani grandmaster Magomed Muradli and Indian player Aswath are co-leaders at the Baku Open chess tournament after three rounds, each scoring 3 points, tournament organizers said. The two are set to face each other in the next round.

Close behind with 2.5 points are Azerbaijani players Khazar Babazade, Murad Ibrahimli, Misratdin Iskandarov, along with Aleksandar Indjic (Serbia), Baadur Jobava (Georgia), and Mikhail Brodsky (Ukraine).

The nine-round event offers a total prize fund of $55,000, with $12,000 awarded to the winner of the main "A" section.

Earlier, the “Battle of Champions” was held at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, featuring local champions Rauf Mamedov and Gunay Mammadzade against former world champions Rustam Kasimdzhanov (Uzbekistan) and Antoaneta Stefanova (Bulgaria). Mamedov defeated Kasimdzhanov 12–10, while Mammadzade edged out Stefanova by the same score.

The Baku Open is part of the Chess Tour Azerbaijan, which will include seven more events this year in Sheki, Shamakhi, Lankaran, Guba, Ganja, and Shirvan.

Each tournament will feature at least five grandmasters and players from five or more countries. The minimum prize fund for each stage is 22,000 manats, with the winner receiving at least $3,000.

N.Tebrizli