Alexander Grischuk, sitting on 50% and still very much in the thick of things, said this in the post-game interview:
My form is terrible. I don't want to play at all with this situation. When it was the beginning I didn't have a clear opinion but now already for several days, I have a very clear opinion: that it should be stopped, this tournament. The whole atmosphere is very hostile. Everyone is with masks, also more security and so on.
For me, it's very difficult. I just don't want to play, don't want to be here. Considering this, I am quite happy with my result but overall, it's no coincidence that everything else has stopped. We are the only one left, the only major sport event in the world. I think it should be stopped and postponed.
This seems right to me, but then it seemed right to me before the event as well. And if the event is postponed, how does FIDE justify Radjabov's ouster? It's a mess - but then that's true of the whole situation around the world.
To the games: there was only one decisive game today, but it was a biggie. Ian Nepomniachtchi and Wang Hao, two of the three co-leaders, faced off, and when Nepo won he found himself in clear first. He didn't seem to have anything special on the white side of a Petroff; certainly nothing that impresses the engines. But slight pressure, when it endures long enough, can bear fruit. (This is one reason why players, including amateurs, shouldn't hurry to offer draws in superior positions, even if they have no idea what to do with them. Often your opponents will do your work for you.) Even a Candidate can go astray, and Wang Hao did, missing a key point shortly before the time control. Nepo now leads with a +2 score.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave is in clear second after a very entertaining draw with Kirill Alekseenko. It was a super-sharp Najdorf, and MVL seemed to have practically the entire game, with Black, prepared at home. For Alekseenko, it was a matter of discovery from early on. He seemed to find all the right moves (or at least one of the more-or-less correct approaches), but all that did was net him a draw.
Pre-event favorite Fabiano Caruana entered the round at 50%, and was very fortunate to end it the same way. He was at death's door against Anish Giri, and his resilient defense wouldn't have been enough against best play. Luckily, Giri's renowned propensity for draws reigned supreme, and the 2018 challenger is still in the race.
Finally, Grischuk's game with Ding Liren was well-played by both sides, and finished in a correct draw.
The games are here - unannotated for now - and this is what's coming in the morning (assuming the event isn't postponed):