They aren't playing in the Olympiad, but GMs Magnus Carlsen and Hikaru Nakamura both competed in the first 3 0 Thursday on September 24. Both players joined a tie atop the standings, with Carlsen taking first on tiebreaks, with help from a mouse slip by GM Tuan Minh Le. In the second event, GM Parham Maghsoodloo won his first seven games and finished just well enough to take the title. FM Artin Ashraf won the final event of the day, his second straight Thursday with a tournament win.

First Tournament: Mouse Slip Gives Carlsen First Place

Carlsen started well in the first tournament, winning his first seven games. He had a full-point lead on the rest of the field after an endgame win against GM Dmitry Andreikin.

The event wasn't over, and the standings tightened when GM Alexey Sarana, playing after his Olympiad game had finished, defeated Carlsen in the eighth round. Carlsen won against Maghsoodloo in round nine, setting up a 10th round battle with Le. Carlsen was better throughout, but he missed a fork, allowing an equal endgame. Le's time advantage gave him great chances to take the tournament lead. However, a mouse slip suddenly flipped the game, handing Carlsen the win.

That victory gave Carlsen the sole lead heading into his final round game with Nakamura. Carlsen repeated a dubious opening surprise that he debuted recently in a game against GM Javokhir Sindarov. Nakamura had analyzed that variation, came prepared, and won a nice game.

Nakamura's win resulted in a five-way tie for first place. Carlsen took the title with the best tiebreak score, followed by IM Sergey Sklokin, Nakamura, Andreikin and Ashraf. WIM Margarita Potapova took the top woman's prize with 6.5 points, her third straight week taking that prize in the opening 3 0 Thursday tournament.

Second Tournament: Maghsoodloo Starts Hot, Holds On

Like Carlsen in the first event, Maghsoodloo started the second tournament by winning seven games in a row. Perhaps his toughest challenge in that run came from GM Haik Martirosyan in the fifth round. White had a dangerous initiative, but he lost control, allowing Maghsoodloo's counterattack to break through.

Ashraf stopped Maghsoodloo's streak by beating him in the eighth round. Maghsoodloo only drew his next two games, allowing several players to catch him on eight points. To keep chances for first place he needed to win his final game against IM Robert Piliposyan.

Maghsoodloo finished with the best tiebreaks among three players with nine points. Martirosyan took second, followed by GM Sergei Zhigalko. FM Liya Kurmangaliyeva won the women's prize for the first time with 6.5 points.

Third Tournament: Ashraf Catches Minh Le In Photo Finish

Ashraf took fifth place and sixth place in the first two tournaments of the day. He played even better in the third tournament, scoring nine points, making him the only winner of the day to score sole first place. He demonstrated great technique, especially in the ninth round, defeating IM Yoseph Theolifus Taher with an exchange sacrifice.

Ashraf still trailed Minh Le heading into the final round. A victory over GM Oleksandr Bortnyk would have brought Le to 9.5 points, but he blundered in a complicated position.

That brutal game dropped Le to second place, half a point ahead of Maghsoodloo in third. GM Tan Zhongyi won the top women's spot with 6.5 points, her second straight week taking home that prize.