Erigaisi and Carlsen score, Erdogmus escapes
Round five of the TePe Sigeman & Co tournament in Malmö produced two decisive results and left the event with two co-leaders. Arjun Erigaisi defeated Jorden van Foreest – who had defeated Magnus Carlsen the day before – to join Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus in first place on 3½/5. Carlsen also returned to winning ways, beating Zhu Jiner after his loss on Monday.
The two drawn games followed very different courses. Nils Grandelius, who had lost his first four games in Malmö, opted for a more restrained approach for the first time in the tournament and drew quickly against Nodirbek Abdusattorov. By contrast, Andy Woodward v. Erdogmus lasted 104 moves, with the US representative continuing to look for chances in a queen endgame with an extra pawn.
Picture this: you’ve outplayed your opponent move by move, you’re clearly better – and then the endgame slips into a draw, simply because you lacked the crucial theoretical knowledge. That is exactly where this course comes in. Without solid endgame skills, there’s no way forward. Rook endgames are most essential: they occur more often than any other type of endgame, and often make the difference between victory and half a point. If you master them, you’ll confidently convert your advantages into wins!
Free video sample: Introduction
Free video sample: Bodycheck
Erdogmus’ defence allowed him to remain undefeated and keep his share of first place with two rounds to go. The Turkish teenager and Erigaisi have already played each other, having drawn their round-two encounter, in which Erdogmus had the white pieces. Their remaining schedules now differ considerably: Erigaisi will face Zhu and Woodward, the two lowest-rated players in the field, as opposed to Erdogmus, who is due to meet Abdusattorov and Carlsen, the two highest-rated participants.
A live audience follows the games in Malmö | Photo: Petter Doggers / Official website
On paper, Erigaisi has the less demanding finish, but Erdogmus’ recent rise and strong form in Malmö mean it should not be that surprising if he ends up winning the event. With the publication of the official FIDE rankings on 1 May, it was confirmed that Erdogmus is now the youngest player ever to have crossed the 2700 rating mark – the sky is the limit for the teenager from Bursa.
Round 5 results
Carlsen 1-0 Zhu
In this video course, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov explores one of the most intriguing and under-examined areas of modern chess: reversed opening systems, focusing on the Reversed Grünfeld and the Reversed Dutch. At first glance, these two systems seem unrelated. However, they share a common strategic challenge: the value of tempi, structure, and psychology when familiar openings are played with colours reversed. Drawing on his long professional experience, Sokolov explains why these positions are far more subtle than they appear and why traditional engine evaluations often fail to capture their true complexity.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Larsen’s b4 Plan vs Reversed Stonewall Setups: Larsen – Spassky
Erigaisi 1-0 Van Foreest
The London System is one of the most popular openings at every level of chess but not all Londons are the same. In this course, Grandmaster Elisabeth Pähtz presents the London System, a structured and ambitious approach based on the immediate Bf4, leading to rich and dynamic positions.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: 5…cxd4 6.exd4 Qb6 sidelines