Grandmaster Nikola Đukić defeated Aleksandar Tomic in the ninth round of the 78th Montenegrin Championship, tying him with Denis Kadrić for first place at 7.5 points. Kadrić drew with Blaž Kalezić, maintaining his tiebreaker advantage from their head-to-head win. Jovan Milović sits half a point behind in third.
In the ninth round of the 78th Montenegrin Chess Championship, ten-time champion Nikola Đukić outplayed Aleksandar Tomic's white pieces using the Sicilian Defense. Đukić capitalized on Tomic's risky play, leading to resignation after just 20 moves. This victory allowed Đukić to join fellow grandmaster Denis Kadrić at the top of the standings with 7.5 points each. Kadrić, however, could only manage a draw against experienced international master Blaž Kalezić. Kalezić employed his favored French Defense, and the players agreed to split the point after 30 moves in an equal position.
FIDE master Jovan Milović, president of the Montenegrin Chess Federation, secured third place with 7 points by defeating national team player Nemanja Vukčević playing black. Vukčević sacrificed a piece but struggled to find a strong follow-up, allowing Milović to counterattack and deliver checkmate.
Another notable game was the draw between FIDE master Andrej Šuković and grandmaster Božidar Ivanović, which featured a prolonged rook endgame after intense play.
The current standings show Kadrić and Đukić leading, followed by Milović at 7 points, Kalezić and Šuković at 6.5, and a group at 6 points including Jakšin, Tomic, Petrov, Ivanović, Nikčević, and Vukčević. Lower down, Pečurica, Šćekić, Nikač, Skvorcov, Vlatković, Vujošević, and Vujačić have 5.5 points.
The tenth round, scheduled for tomorrow at 4 p.m., includes key matchups such as Đukić vs. Milović and Šuković vs. Kadrić. Games can be followed on the Chess Federation of Montenegro's website.
With two rounds remaining, the tiebreaker favoring Kadrić adds tension to the race for the title.