Menorca Masters 2026 R6-7: Nihal Sarin in joint lead with Ruslan Ponomariov going into 8th round
Nihal Sarin and Ruslan Ponomariov are in joint lead after 7 rounds of play at Menorca Masters 2026. On the 4th day, Ruslan Ponomariov won both of his games to catch up to Nihal. In the 6th round, Ruslan Ponomariov defeated Richard Rapport, while in the 7th round, he defeated World Champion D Gukesh. Nihal had two draws. In the 6th round, he drew against Pentala Harikrishna, and in the 7th round, he drew against Leinier Dominguez Perez. Gukesh had both decisive games on the 4th day, first he won against Leinier Dominguez Perez, and then lost against Ponomariov. With 3 rounds to go, Nihal and Ponomariov are co-leading with 4.5/7, and Gukesh is in sole second place with 3.5/7. Round 8 will start on 10th April at 5 PM Local time/8:30 PM IST. Photos: Saji Mathew
Round 6
In the 6th round, there were 2 decisive results, with D Gukesh winning his game against Leinier Dominguez Perez with white pieces. Ruslan Ponomariov won his game against Richard Rapport with the white pieces, and the Indian clash between Nihal Sarin and Pentala Harikrishna ended in a draw.
D Gukesh vs Leinier Dominguez Perez (1-0)
Gukesh plays 1.e4 and his opponent, Leinier Dominguez, responds with the Sicilian Najdorf. The game is a great example of how Gukesh really flourishes in sharp and unbalanced positions.
On move 20, Gukesh played b4, sacrificing the exchange on a1, but the better activity and the bishop pair helped Gukesh win this sharp game
Replay Round 6 Games
Round 7
In the 7th round, Gukesh lost to Ruslan Ponomariov after making a huge mistake under time pressure. Richard Rapport won his game against Pentala Harikrishna, and the game between Nihal Sarin and Leinier Dominguez Perez ended in a draw. After round 7, Nihal maintained the lead that he got from the first day of the event.
Replay Round 7 Games
Photo Gallery: Here
Lineup
Gukesh, Nihal, Harikrishna, Rapport, Dominguez, and Ponomariov are the participants of this tournament. The time control of the event is 30 minutes+10 second increment on each move, and it follows a double Round-robin format.
Venue: Sagitario Princesa Playa, Ciutadella de Menorca
It is a hotel surrounded by 30,000 m² of green areas, with complete sports facilities, and located a few meters from Son Xoriguer beach and the port of Cala'n Bosch. This village is located on the western coast of the island. Before the British rule in the 18th century, this town of medieval narrow streets and majestic buildings, Ciutadella, was the capital town of Menorca. Thanks to its wide historical legacy, Ciutadella is an acknowledged national cultural point of interest. Its 29,000 inhabitants make it the most populated town on the island, and one of the most attractive tourist areas. History is in the air on every corner of this town full of historical buildings, mansions, and stately houses.
Prizes
The Master Tournament is endowed with €22,000 in cash prizes, which will be distributed in order of ranking.
Champion: 7,000€ + Trophy
2nd place: 5,000€
3rd place: 4,000€
4th place: 3,000€
5th place: 2,000€
6th place: 1,000€
Schedule
Round 8 pairing
Bo. | No. | Rtg |
| White | Result | Black |
| Rtg | No. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 6 | 2732 | GM | GM | 2723 | 2 | ||||||
2 | 1 | 2732 | GM | GM | 2729 | 3 | ||||||
3 | 5 | 2676 | GM | GM | 2636 | 4 |
Rank after Round 7
Rk. | SNo |
| Name | FED | RtgI | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | 2 | GM | 2723 | 4,5 | 0 | 3 | 14,5 | |||
2 | 4 | GM | 2636 | 4,5 | 0 | 2 | 14,75 | |||
3 | 6 | GM | 2732 | 3,5 | 0 | 2 | 10,5 | |||
4 | 5 | GM | 2676 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 10 | |||
5 | 3 | GM | 2729 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 9,5 | |||
6 | 1 | GM | 2732 | 2,5 | 0 | 1 | 10,75 |
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