Ten-time champion of Montenegro, grandmaster Nikola Đukić, outplayed Aleksandar Tomic's white pieces in the ninth round of the 78th Montenegrin Championship and tied with his colleague Denis Kadrić at the top of the table.
The Sicilian Defense was played and Đukić punished the risky play of Tomic, who stopped his further resistance after only 20 moves. With this victory, Đukić reached the division of first place, and the advantage is currently on the side of Kadrić, who won in a head-to-head duel, which is the first additional criterion.
Kadrić had to settle for a draw against the experienced international major, Blaž Kalezić, in today's round. Kalezić opted for his favorite French defense, and the opponents agreed to a draw after thirty moves in an objectively equal position.
Half a point behind the leading duo is FIDE master Jovan Milović. The president of the Montenegrin Chess Federation defeated national team player Nemanja Vukčević with black pieces. Vukčević sacrificed quality, and it seems he couldn't find a good continuation, so Milović gained points in a counterattack that ended with checkmate.
A great fight was seen in the duel between FIDE master Andrej Šuković and grandmaster Božidar Ivanović, which ended in a draw in a long cannon finale.
Current standings: 1-2. Kadrić and Đukić 7,5 3. Milović 7 4-5. Kalezić and Šuković 6,5 6-11. Jaksin, Tomic, Petrov, Ivanovic, Nikčević and Vukčević 6 12-18. Pečurica, Šćekić, Nikač, Skvorcov, Vlatković, Vujošević and Vujačić 5,5…
The tenth round brings interesting duels: Djukic - Milovic, Šukovic - Kadrić, Kalezić - Petrov, Jaksin - Nikcevic, Tomić - Vukcevic, Ivanovic - Vujošević, Skvorcov - Nikač, Vujačić - Pečurica, Vlatković - Šćekić.
The tenth round is scheduled for tomorrow at 16 p.m., and chess fans can follow the games via the website of the Chess Federation of Montenegro.
Bonus video:
