Carlsen had to beat Dominguez to prevent the Cuban from winning this year's cup in Biel, but only managed to draw. Actually it was Dominguez who came very close to another win; and he starts today's last round a full point ahead of Alekseev and Carlsen.

Photo ?Ǭ© http://www.bielchessfestival.ch/

We're doing two rounds in one report this time. Dominguez increased his lead by half a point on Tuesday, and then defended it succesfully on Wednesday. The Cuban played a very strong black game against Alekseev in round 8, and Carlsen drew against Bacrot. The day after, Dominguez could have steered to a draw against Carlsen, but instead he played aggressively. And why not? Often the best way to reach a draw is to play for a win, they say.

It's unclear why the Cuban refrained from taking on h5 with the knight, which would probably have led to a sensational tournament victory with a round to spare, but this way it will "only" be an excellent tournament victory - if he can stay alive with Black against Bacrot today, that is.

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Links:

• Official website
• Games in PGN