Mishra Finishes Second in TePe Sigeman Super Tournament

Update 05/10/2023: The tournament has concluded, and GM Peter Svidler finished in clear first with 4½/7 after drawing his last two games. Mishra lost a heart-breaking queen-and-pawn ending against GM Boris Gelfand in the final round, finishing in a three-way tie for second with GMs Gukesh D. and Nils Grandelius.

Mishra still gains an impressive 19 rating points for a performance almost 200 points above his 2550 rating. Mishra's final game is included here:

While the position after 47. Qf5+ might be objectively drawn, one famous trainer insists it was an instructive practical error:

I have debated the Q vs Q+P endgame a lot with Sam and other GMs. Sam believes it lost in practice in all time controls, a- and h-pawns lost in rapid. No matter the theory.
White should play 47.Kd5! to keep the pawn. He lost after 47.Qf5+?!
Old hands teach hard lessons. pic.twitter.com/JwzSArAdHm
— GM Jacob Aagaard (@GMJacobAagaard) May 10, 2023

Regardless, this was an excellent finish for the oldest player in the tournament (Gelfand) and a fantastic result for the second-oldest.

With his strong performance in Malmö, Peter Svidler (@polborta) is very near to entering the 2700 club once again - the place where he belongs. pic.twitter.com/HNzDtcz3oq
— David Llada ♞ (@davidllada) May 10, 2023

Original article below.

It should not be surprising when an eight-time Russian champion is leading a tournament. Especially when three fourths of the field aren't even 30 years old. And yet, GM Peter Svidler's standing atop the leaderboard of the 28th annual TePe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament still counts as something of an upset.

But while the second-oldest player in the event (behind only GM Boris Gelfand) might not have been the hottest pick behind three current members of the 2700-club, did anybody expect the single-youngest player to be Svidler's co-leader?

The co-leaders during their round one encounter (courtesy David Llada)

At 3½/5, 14-year-old American GM Abhimanyu Mishra has put on his most prominent display of classical chess in his young career. Ahead of established professionals like GM Jorden van Foreest (who Mishra beat in the second round) and GM Nils Grandelius, it is also worth noting that the other "young talents" invited to this event are no slouches.

Indeed, with Indian GMs Gukesh D. and Arjun Erigaisi joining 2022 World Rapid runner-up GM Vincent Keymer, Mishra's performance is remarkable. Ratings aren't everything, but the kid is over 100 points lower rated than seventh-seeded Grandelius.

With two rounds to go, Mishra will take the black pieces against Arjun on Tuesday, May 9, before concluding the event against Gelfand on Wednesday. Games begin at 8:00 a.m. CT, and will be broadcasted on Lichess and Chess.com.

Below, enjoy Mishra's topsy-turvy victories over van Foreest and Keymer, as well as his double-edged draw from earlier today against Gukesh.