11 August 2019
Fourth GCT Event Begins in Saint Louis
Levon Aronian took the lead in rapid.
Photo: Crystal Fuller
First 3 rounds of the Saint Louis Rapid & Blitz event were played on August 10. The rapid section on the first 3 days is a single round-robin with a time control of 25 minutes for all moves and a 10-second delay from move 1. The final 2 days are a blitz double round-robin, with 18 rounds of 5+3 blitz. Rapid games count double, with 2 points for a win and 1 for a draw.
Having defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Sergey Karjakin, and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Levon Aronian has taken the sole lead with 6 points. Magnus Carlsen, who suffered the first loss this year, and his "offender" Ding Liren are 2 points behind the leader.
Standings after Round 3:
1. Levon Aronian - 6 points
2-3. Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren - 4
4-6. Fabiano Caruana, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov - 3
7-9. Yu Yangyi, Sergey Karjakin, Richard Rapport - 2
10. Leinier Domniguez - 1.
Round 4 pairings:
Rapport - Dominguez, Caruana - Carlsen, Aronian - Ding Liren, Yu Yangyi - Mamedyarov, Vachier-Lagrave - Karjakin.
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