Zhu, Erdogmus and Woodward survive tough positions, get half points
Round two of the TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament in Malmö produced only one decisive result, but all four games came close to ending decisively. Magnus Carlsen defeated Nils Grandelius to join round-one winners Andy Woodward and Nodirbek Abdusattorov in shared first place. After two rounds, Carlsen, Woodward and Abdusattorov lead with 1½ points each.
In the clash between the two early leaders, Abdusattorov had the white pieces against Woodward. The Uzbek grandmaster, who won the tournament in 2024, obtained clear winning chances at several points, but failed to find the most precise continuations. Woodward held firm and the game eventually ended in a draw, allowing both players to remain at the top of the standings.
The other two drawn games were also hard fought. Arjun Erigaisi reached a superior endgame against Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus, with queen and knight against queen and bishop, but the Turkish teenager defended resourcefully and kept creating practical obstacles. The game was finally drawn after 78 moves.
Jorden van Foreest pressed even longer against Zhu Jiner, but his extra pawn never became enough for victory. Zhu defended for more than five hours, and the game was agreed drawn after 93 moves.
Round 2 results
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
Zhu Jiner showed resilience in defence against Jorden van Foreest | Photo: Petter Doggers / Official website
Carlsen wins with black
Carlsen’s win over Grandelius was the day’s only decisive result. The Norwegian, playing black, faced an opponent he knows well: Grandelius has previously worked as one of his seconds. Their game began as a Benoni Defence and soon became tactically demanding, with calculation playing a central role from an early stage.
The Norwegian navigated the complications more convincingly than his 32-year-old rival, handling the initiative exemplarily. The game ended after 36 moves, giving the world number one his first win of the event after his quiet first-round draw against Arjun Erigaisi.
Afterwards, Carlsen said he had enjoyed playing what he called a “fun game”, adding that it was a useful way to “shake off the rust”. His comment reflected his limited recent activity in classical chess: since Norway Chess in June 2025, he had played only one official classical game before arriving in Malmö, against a much lower-rated opponent at the Norway Team Championship in November.
Abdusattorov’s missed chances
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
Tied for first place with Magnus Carlsen – Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Andy Woodward | Photo: Petter Doggers / Official website