GM Parimarjan Negi was part of a 10-way tie for the World Open title after scoring 6.5 points from nine rounds at Arlington on Sunday.
As per the rules, the top two players based on tie-break scores, Varuzhan Akobian (US) faced Quesada Yunieski (Cuba) in their Armageddon game. Yunieski played white and had five minutes of thinking time against Akobian’s three. The playoff game, where the 2004 champion Akobian needed to stay undefeated with black pieces to take the title, ended in a draw in 52 moves.
In the final round, Negi played black and drew with Sergey Erenburg (US) in 29 moves. The top three boards featuring other leaders also produced drawn encounters.
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From boards six and seven, Yuri Shulman and victorious Alejandro Ramirez, joined Akobian, Yunieski, Lazaro Bruzon (Cuba), Victor Laznicka (Cze), Tamaz Gelashvili (Georgia), Erenburg and Negi and Conrad Holt (US) to form the bracket of those with 6.5 points.