Team Experience made a charge in the middle rounds, but three wins for the Rising Stars in rounds seven and eight have helped the youngsters pull away from their veteran foes. With just one round left to play, the Rising Stars hold a nearly insurmountable 24.5-20.5 lead in the annual competition.
There is still some drama left in the final round, however. Boris Gelfand looks likely to have the highest score overall, having already scored 6.5 points in nine rounds, without a single loss. However, the real battle is on the Rising Stars team. The top finisher among the young players will be invited to the 2011 Amber Melody tournament in Nice, France, and it's still not entirely clear who will take home the prize. Anish Giri is the current leader with 6 points, but Hikaru Nakamura is still alive at 5.5. If the two end up tied, a blitz tiebreaker will decide who gets the invitation to Nice. Nakamura has had a particularly up and down tournament; he has won four games, as many as anyone in the event, but has also suffered two losses.
Check back here for the final score, as well as who will be playing blindfold and rapid chess in Nice, as soon as the tournament concludes!
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