Grandmaster Denis Kadrić has positioned himself one step from the title in the 78th Montenegrin Chess Championship following a win in the 10th round. He defeated FIDE master Andrej Šuković, taking the lead with 8.5 points. A draw in the final round against Nikita Petrov will suffice for Kadrić to claim the championship.
In the 10th round of the 78th Montenegrin Chess Championship, Grandmaster Denis Kadrić secured a crucial victory over FIDE master Andrej Šuković playing with the black pieces. The game featured the Pirč Defense and remained equal throughout until the endgame with different-colored bishops. Šuković pushed for a win, but Kadrić capitalized on the reversal to triumph. This result placed Kadrić at the top of the standings with 8.5 points ahead of the final round.
Other notable games included a draw between Grandmaster Nikola Đukić and FIDE master Jovan Milović after more than five hours of tactical play. Milović reached a dominant endgame but could not convert it, resulting in a stalemate. Grandmaster Nikita Petrov, the defending champion, defeated international master Blaž Kalezić with the black pieces, keeping his score at 7 points despite fading title hopes. FIDE master Oleg Jaksin also notched an important win against Grandmaster Nebojša Nikčević.
Additional 10th-round results were: Tomic vs Vukčević draw, Ivanovic vs Vujošević draw, and Skvorcov vs Nikač 1-0.
The standings before the 11th round are: 1. Kadrić 8.5; 2. Đukić 8; 3. Milović 7.5; 4-5. Jaksin and Petrov 7; 6-12. Tomic, Kalezić, Vukčević, Ivanovic, Skvorcov, Šuković, Vlatković 6.5; 13-18. Pečurica, Nikčević, Draganić, Vujošević, Đurović, Vujačić 6.
The final round, scheduled for 4 p.m., features key matchups including Petrov vs Kadrić, Vukčević vs Đukić, Milović vs Skvortsov, Vlatković vs Jaksin, Kalezić vs Šuković, and Ivanović vs Tomić. The tournament offers a prize pool of 15,000 euros, divided among 12 regular and five special prizes. Games can be followed on the Chess Federation of Montenegro's website.