Armenian grandmaster Hrant Melkumyan solely leads the Chess Classic FIDE OPEN underway in London, United Kingdom. Ahead of the final ninth round, the Armenian tops the table with seven points, leaving behind seven players, including another representative of Armenia Gabriel Sargsyan, with 6.5 points each. Sargsyan holds the third place on additional units.
As the National Olympic Committee reported, the other representative of Armenia Gabriel Sargsyan shares the 3-20 places (4th on additional units) with 5.5 points. The tournament is due to conclude on December 9.
To note, the London Chess Classic FIDE Open is a 9-round Swiss open taking place alongside the London Chess Classic in the Olympia Conference Centre from 2-9 December 2017. The first prize is £5,000. Players receive 90 minutes for 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes to the end of the game, plus a 30-second increment starting from move one.