Overview
- Candela Francisco, 19, scored 7/10 to sit 10th after day one in Doha, highlighted by a win over world No. 3 Lei Tingjie and an estimated +37 Blitz-Elo.
- Pre-seeded 37th in a women’s field of about 140, Francisco outperformed expectations in the 3+2 format that will send the top four to semifinals after the final rounds.
- Faustino Oro, 12, posted 7/13 in the open section to stand 88th, well above his initial seeding, with an estimated +29 Elo after facing 13 grandmasters.
- Oro’s day included a first-round victory over Levon Aronian, plus results against elite opponents such as Fabiano Caruana and Sam Sevian across a demanding slate.
- The open leaderboard after day one features Arjun Erigaisi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Caruana on 10 points, with Magnus Carlsen on 9 following a time-loss incident.