Shamkir, Round 3. Photo Reportage LIVE

On the free day of the Shamkir tournament there is traditionally a football match. As last year, four teams were playing. In the semifinals, the chessplayers of Azerbaijan and the rest of the world, alas, lost to the teams of journalists and organisers/sponsors. But Magnus Carlsen played in the final as a guest for the organisers/sponsors' team, strengthening an already strong team. He was the outstanding player on the pitch. 

Check out photos from the Gashimov Memorial taking place in Shamkir. 

Our special correspondent in Stavanger Dmitry Ostanin sent us some photos from the tournament.

Shamkir ready to hold two competitions dedicated to Vugar Gashimov's memory. The participants of the A group are Carlsen, Caruana, Nakamura, Karjakin, Mamedyarov and Radjabov. 

Participants of B group are Wang Hao, Woijtaszek, Bacrot, Motylev, Eljanov, Mamedov, Safarli, Guseinov, Durarbeyli and Abbasov. 

Today the players visited the graves of Vugar Gashimov and Heydar Aliyev (the national leader of Azerbaijan). 

Our correspondent Marie Boyard visited Zug and concluded that the venue of third stage of the FIDE Grand Prix is almost ideal.

Shamkir. The best pastime in the first half of the day must be walking in the city, enjoying surroundings, sunshine and fresh air. 

The hotel Excelsior hosts the participants of both A and B groups, coaches and journalists. It's nice inside, but it is even better outside, in the surroundings.

(Translated from Russian by Andrey Deviatkin)

My impressions of the first playing day in Sochi can be summed up in one sentence: great fuss about a single game of chess. It seems to me that's not the way it should be, ideally.