GM Hikaru Nakamura streamed his way to victory in the first 3 0 Thursday on July 16. On stream, he described the time control as clearly his strongest, explaining that it’s faster than the five-minute time control used in Titled Tuesdays and that forcing quick decisions often works out in his favor. Nakamura backed up his claims, posting the best score of the day with 9.5 points.
In the second tournament, GM Sergey Drygalov scored his first-ever 3 0 Thursday win, narrowly passing GM Fabiano Caruana on tiebreaks. IM Renato Terry took the third tournament, taking the sole lead for 3 0 Thursday victories with 16, one more than GM Jose Martinez.
First Tournament: Nakamura Streams His Way To Victory
Nakamura told his viewers early on that he would have good chances to win the tournament. It was an honest evaluation, as he won his first four games. While Nakamura misplayed a time-scramble against GM Volodar Murzin in the fifth round, he recovered to win his next five rounds. The clock was on his side throughout the tournament. In the seventh game, he needed every trick he could to survive an inferior position against IM Reza Mahdavi, eventually winning on time. Two rounds later, he used the clock to win an even rook ending against GM Denis Lazavik.Â
By the tenth round, Nakamura only trailed Terry and had the opportunity to pass him if he could win with the black pieces.
In the final round, GM Sina Movahed was the only player with good chances of catching Nakamura, but winning on demand against the top seed is a tall task for anyone. Nakamura explained to his viewers that he found the right concept against Movahed, but carried it out in the wrong order.
The final draw brought Nakamura to 9.5 points and clear first place. Movahed took second on tiebreaks with nine points, ahead of Terry. IM Le Thao Nguyen Pham scored a strong 7.5 points to take the top women’s prize, defeating her 3000+ rated opponent FM Matfey Rogov in the final round.
Second Tournament: Drygalov Wins First 3 0 Thursday
Martinez appeared on pace to win the second tournament of the day, as he’s managed 15 Thursdays in the past. However, Caruana put an end to his hopes by convincingly defeating him in their tenth round battle. Caruana won the next round as well, but still had to settle for second on tiebreaks behind Drygalov. Drygalov earned the top spot with several beautiful attacking games, such as in his fourth round fight with GM-elect Faustino Oro.
Remarkably, Drygalov broke through in the critical final round against GM Oleksandr Bortnyk with a similar knight sacrifice on the same square.
That victory and some good fortune allowed Drygalov to keep pace with Caruana and surpass him on tiebreaks. Martinez took third with 8.5 points, while NM Liudmyla Ivanytska took the women’s prize with 5.5 points.
Third Tournament: Terry Scores Record 16th Victory
Terry didn’t seem like a favorite in the third tournament of the day. He lost to GM Parham Maghsoodloo in the fifth round, leaving him with 3.5 points nearly halfway through the event. However, Terry fought back, scoring four wins and two draws in his remaining games. He played several attacking games, including the following against IMÂ Yoseph Theolifus Taher in round eight.
Despite Terry’s strong play, the tournament looked to belong to GM Tuan Minh Le. He led throughout and held clear first prior to the final round. However, he dropped a complicated final game against Maghsoodloo.
That result left both participants on 8.5 points. Terry caught them with his victory against GM Christopher Yoo. Terry emerged with the best tiebreaks, followed by Maghsoodloo and Minh Le. WFM Nivedita V C won her final five games to reach seven points and take the women’s prize.Â
3 0 Thursday is a set of three weekly Swiss tournaments for verified titled players featuring their favorite time control. Each of the three tournaments is an 11-round Swiss with a 3+0 time control. The combined prize fund is $3,000 every week.