With Richard Rapport having set a marker with his 20 points from events 1 and 2, it was now time for event 3 to see if anyone else could hit that mark. While there were a few combinations of results, all involving Nakamura reaching the semi-finals but not winning the event, that could have created a tie on that score, it was widely expected that the Grand Prix qualifiers would be Rapport and one other. It helped him that both of the event 1 finalists, Nakamura and Aronian, were drawn into the same group, and also that Andreikin, runner-up in event 2, had withdrawn for personal reasons. He was, as in event 1, replaced by Esipenko.
The other big news with regard to Candidates places was that Karjakin had been suspended by FIDE for breaching the FIDE code of ethics; assuming this stands, it opens up a Candidates place for the highest-placed eligible player not already qualified. This may prove to be Ding Liren.
Round 1
Group A
Aronian had found an improvement on his
game against Dominguez, and put it to the test against Nakamura. When the latter went wrong in middlegame complications, he converted his advantage in the ending. In the other game, Esipenko-Oparin was a fairly level-pegging draw throughout.
Group B
Keymer could do little with a slight edge against Mamedyarov, and their game ended in a drawn bishop ending. Dominguez, meanwhile, won a somewhat topsy-turvy game against Dubov, where the latter, after fighting back to equality, blundered in an ending.
Group C
Shankland had a slight edge all through his game against So, and was a pawn up in a rook ending for much of it, but it was never quite enough to be winning. On the other board, Predke absolutely demolished Vachier-Lagrave after the Frenchman was slightly too cavalier with his kingside defences.
Group D
This was one that got away for Giri, who had what was surely a winning position against Yu, but failed to find the right moves in the run-up to the time control, and ended up drawing. Vitiugov, meanwhile, expertly ground Tabatabaei down in an ending.
Round 2
Group A
Aronian played a long-term pawn sacrifice against Oparin that got him sufficient compensation but no more than that, and the game was eventually a draw in a rook ending. Meanwhile, Nakamura was worse for most of his game against Esipenko, but again, this was worth nothing more than a draw.
Group B
Dubov-Mamedyarov was a short, not particularly interesting game that ended in a draw by repetition. Dominguez-Keymer had more to it, and for a while it looked as if Dominguez might be able to make something out of his pawn-up opposite-coloured-bishops ending, but it was not to be.
Group C
Predke-So was one of those games that gives the Giuoco Piano its name, with black managing to equalize relatively comfortably and hold white at bay. Vachier-Lagrave's game against Shankland had more to it, but the notorious Berlin endgame nevertheless led to its usual result.
Group D
A somewhat tame game in Yu-Vitiugov led to an early draw by repetition. Tabatabaei-Giri was a more interesting game, despite the Exchange Slav's reputation, but black comfortably neutralized the slight advantage white's bishop against a knight gave him, and that was also a draw.
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