GMs Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Oleksandr Bortnyk, and Tuan Minh Le fended off prodigies and numerous 3000+ rated opponents to win October 8's 3 0 Thursday tournaments outright.

Duda dominated the 215-player strong first tournament and came close to scoring a momentous 11/11, while Bortnyk and Le both secured gold with wins in the final round. In the second tournament, IM Aleksandr Usov would have become one of the youngest 3 0 Thursday winners had he held Bortnyk to a draw.

First Tournament: Duda Scores 10/11 In Hunt For Perfection

After winning his first eight games of the first tournament, four of which were against GMs Maksim Chigaev, Benjamin Bok, Sergey Drygalov, and Denis Lazavik, Duda looked poised to become the first player to score 11/11 in a 3 0 Thursday event.

The world number 13 racked up style points with brilliant moves against Drygalov and Lazavik— the latter of these games served as a reminder of the power of passed pawns.

In round nine, Duda finally came unstuck at the hands of GM Sina Movahed when time pressure led to a costly rook mouse slip. However, the Polish star recovered impressively, finishing with victories over GMs Emin Ohanyan and Nitzan Steinberg.

Movahed, meanwhile, saw his hopes of sharing first place (by points) dashed by a defeat to Lazavik. Despite finishing on 9/11, Movahed claimed second place ahead of Lazavik due to tiebreaks.

In the race for the best women's prize, IM Polina Shuvalova scored 6.5/11, half a point more than GM Tan Zhongyi, which ended her three tournament streak.

Second Tournament: Bortnyk Denies 16-Year-Old Talent

The 16-year-old Usov came agonizingly close to winning his maiden title in the second tournament. Entering the final round with a half-point lead over of a hungry chasing, Usov faced a decisive showdown with Bortnyk that would determine his fate.

The Scandinavian Defense was the battleground for this crucial clash, with Usov's position taking a turn for the worse when Bortnyk unleashed the incisive 19.Ne6!!, winning a pawn. Usov fought his way back to equality, but with time running short, he was unable to navigate the ending against one of the world's premier bullet specialists.

Despite falling short of the title, Usov can hold his head high knowing he dispatched the likes of GMs Bok, Alexander Rustemov, Shant Sargsyan, and super-GM Parham Maghsoodloo on his way to the silver medal.

Plenty of resolve was shown in his round eight clash with Sargsyan as he slowly exploited a superior pawn structure derived from the Trompowsky Attack transposition.

Finishing in third place was Movahed, who edged out Chigaev on tiebreaks, while WIM Melika Mohammadi was the best women's player.

Third Tournament: Le Cruises To Victory

Vietnam's Le had the Midas touch in Thursday's third tournament, and he flew to 8.5/9, giving him a one point cushion over his nearest rival. In round seven, Le overcame the 18-time winner IM Renato Terry after spotting a powerful discovered check that led to him winning nine points of material.

As is often the case, the third tournament attracted fewer players than the first two, resulting in some lopsided pairings during the closing rounds. Le was paired with Bortnyk in round 10 and suffered a defeat, but the Ukrainian had dropped three games and ultimately settled for equal third (fifth on tiebreaks).

Even after his loss, Le still maintained a half point edge over Mahdavi, but it mattered not. The popular content creator defeated GM Aram Mikaelyan without a hitch and secured first by a full point.

Thanks to a strong finish, Mahdavi did end up in outright second, which left IM Yoseph Taher, Terry, and Bortnyk hoping their tiebreaks were good enough to secure them bronze. Tan scored 6/11 and finished 19, reclaiming the best women's prize.