Mamedyarov draws both games with Carlsen in Budapest

Azerbaijani chess player Shakhriyar Mamedyarov drew both games against Magnus Carlsen in the fourth round of Group C at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot 2026 in Budapest.

Mamedyarov played Black in the first game and White in the second. Under the tournament’s scoring system, a win is worth three points and a draw one, so each player earned two points on the day.

Group C standings

Mamedyarov is fourth with nine points. Carlsen is fifth with seven. Dutch player Anish Giri leads the group with 13 points, while Ian Nepomniachtchi and Haik Martirosyan are second and third with 11 points each. Abhimanyu Mishra has six points.

In the final, fifth round of the group stage, Mamedyarov will face Giri. The first game, scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Baku time on Nov. 15, will see the Azerbaijani play White. The second game will begin at 9:30 p.m., with the colors reversed.

Mamedyarov has recorded one win, six draws and one loss over four rounds. His final position in the group will be determined after the last round.

Playoff stage

The winners of the four groups will advance to the playoffs for the main championship title. The other players will compete in classification stages according to their group positions. The playoff matches will be held from Nov. 17-20.

Context

On Nov. 14, Mamedyarov drew both games against Abhimanyu Mishra in the third round of Group C.