At the outset of Round 6 with Yury Shulman and Alexander Onischuk on board 1, Emil Sutovsky says a “Shulman win puts him as a top contender for at least shared 1st place prize…definitely ambitious…”

Onischuk is likely realizing he has tough final rounds ahead, having avoided the more challenging competitors in the first rounds.

Of the Akobian v. Nakamura match, Sutovsky says, “Nakamura definitely wants to play for a win against Akobian…” as this is the last chance for Nakamura to gain a title. Without a win against Akobian, he'll fall too far behind in point, but Akobian seems to be gaining some momentum and playing very sharp games.

Shulman v. Onischuk



Jennifer Shahade also estimates that, depending on who Irina Krusha and Ray Robson are paired with over the next 2 rounds, and the outcome of today's game, Irina will need 2 out of 3 wins, and Ray Robson will need 1 and a 1/2 out of 3 wins to complete their respective GM norms.