THIS YEAR’S edition of the annual Armenian Rapid Chess Championship started Tuesday, March 2 in Yerevan, Armenia and after five rounds, GM Manuel Petrosyan leads the event by a hairline half-point.
The nine-round Swiss tournament, with a time format of 15 minutes base reflection time and five seconds increment per move, attracted 48 players including most of the participants in the just-concluded 81st Armenian Highest League Chess Championship. The event is also being held this year in memory of the late GM Ashot Anastasian (1964-2016). It’s further nice to see the eminent 69-year old GM Rafael Vaganian, the 2019 World Seniors’ Champion in the 65+ age category, competing in fast play with the younger generation. He hasn’t lost a game in five rounds, but has only managed to win one. The two-day competition ends March 3.
The top twelve in the standings: 1. Petrosyan, 4½; 2-5. Ter-Sahakyan, Babujian, Simonian, Petrosian, 4; 6-12. Shahinyan, Melkonyan, Ohanyan, T. Harutyunian, Alaverdyan, Hakobyan, G. Harutjunyan, 3½.
Martirosyan, HM (2622)-Petrosyan, M (2628) [C80]
Yerevan (2.6) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.Re1 Nf6 8.Rxe5+ Be7 9.Qe2 h6 10.c3 Ng4 11.Re4 Bf5 12.Rf4 Bd3 13.Qe1 Bxb1 14.Rxb1 Nf6 15.Rd4 Qc8 16.b4 b6 17.Bb2 0-0 18.Rd3 Re8 19.Re3 Nd5 20.Re4 f5 21.Re5 Qd7 22.Qf1 b5 23.Qd3 Bd6 24.Rxf5 Nxb4 25.Qf1 Qxf5 26.cxb4 c5 27.bxc5 Bxc5 28.Rc1 Rad8 29.d4 Bb6 30.a4 Qd5 31.axb5 Qxb5 32.Bc3 Qxf1+ 33.Kxf1 Rd5 34.Ra1 a5 35.g4 Rb5 36.Ra3 Ra8 37.Nd2 a4 38.Ke2 c5 39.d5 Re8+ 40.Kf1 Ba5 41.Bxa5 Rxa5 42.Nc4 Ra6 43.d6 Re4 44.d7 Rd4 45.Ne5 Rd1+ 46.Ke2 Rd5 47.f4 g5 48.Kf3 gxf4 49.Kxf4 Rf6+ 50.Kg3 Ra6 51.Kf4 Kg7 52.h4 Rf6+ 53.Kg3 Re6 54.Nf3 Re4 55.g5 Rxd7 56.gxh6+ Kxh6 57.Ng5 Rb4 58.Ra1 Rd3+ 59.Kf2 Rb2+ 60.Kg1 a3 0-1
Mikaelyan, A (2479)-Ter-Sahakyan, S (2640) [D32]
Yerevan (3.1) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 a6 5.e3 c5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Be2 Nc6 8.0-0 cxd4 9.Nxd4 Bd6 10.Nf3 0-0 11.b3 Bg4 12.Bb2 Re8 13.h3 Bh5 14.Nd4 Nxd4 15.Bxh5 Nc6 16.Bf3 Be5 17.Rb1 d4 18.exd4 Nxd4 19.Re1 Qc7 20.Rc1 Bh2+ 21.Kh1 Rxe1+ 22.Qxe1 Nxf3 23.gxf3 Qe5 24.Na4 Qxe1+ 25.Rxe1 Bd6 26.Rd1 Ne8 27.Nb6 Rd8 28.Nc4 Be7 29.Rxd8 Bxd8 30.Kg2 f6 31.f4 f5 32.Kf3 Kf7 33.Ne5+ Ke6 34.Nd3 Kd5 35.Nb4+ Ke6 36.Nd3 Bb6 37.Be5 g6 38.Nb2 Bc7 39.Bxc7 Nxc7 40.Nd3 Kd6 41.Ke3 Ne6 42.Nb4 a5 43.Nd3 b5 44.Ne5 Kc5 45.a3 a4 46.Nd3+ Kb6 47.bxa4 bxa4 48.Nb2 Kb5 49.h4 h6 50.f3 h5 51.Nd3 Kc4 52.Ne5+ Kb3 53.Kd2 Nxf4 54.Ke3 Ng2+ 55.Kd2 Nxh4 56.f4 Ng2 57.Nxg6 Kxa3 58.Kc3 h4 59.Ne7 Ne3 60.Kd3 h3 61.Kd4 0-1
Harutyunian, TK (2549)-Babujian, L (2455) [A11]
Yerevan (3.2) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.b3 Bg7 4.Bb2 0-0 5.e3 d5 6.c4 c6 7.Nc3 Bf5 8.Be2 Ne4 9.Nxe4 Bxe4 10.0-0 Bxf3 11.Bxf3 e6 12.Qc2 f5 13.b4 Nd7 14.b5 Nb6 15.bxc6 bxc6 16.Be2 Rf7 17.a4 Rb8 18.Ba3 f4 19.Bc5 fxe3 20.fxe3 Rxf1+ 21.Rxf1 Qg5 22.Rf3 Bf8 23.cxd5 cxd5 24.a5 Nc4 25.Bxc4 Bxc5 26.Rg3 Qh4 27.Bxd5 Bd6 28.Bxe6+ Kh8 29.d5 Be5 30.Rf3 Qxh2+ 31.Kf1 Qh1+ 32.Kf2 Qa1 33.d6 Rb2 34.Rf8+ Kg7 0-1
Khachatryan, V (2256)-Vaganian, RA (2516) [A94]
Yerevan (3.6) 2021
1.d4 e6 2.Nf3 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 d5 5.0-0 Bd6 6.b3 0-0 7.c4 c6 8.Ba3 Bxa3 9.Nxa3 Nbd7 10.Nc2 b6 11.Nb4 Bb7 12.Nd3 Ne4 13.Nfe5 Nxe5 14.Nxe5 c5 15.Bxe4 fxe4 16.e3 Qd6 17.Qg4 Rf5 18.cxd5 cxd4 19.exd4 Qxd5 20.Nc4 e3 21.f3 e2 22.Rf2 Rxf3 23.Qxf3 Qxf3 24.Rxf3 Bxf3 25.Ne5 Bb7 26.Kf2 Ba6 27.Nc4 Rc8 28.Kxe2 Bxc4+ 29.bxc4 Rxc4 30.Kd3 Ra4 0-1
Petrosian, TL (2601)-Martirosyan, HM (2622) [A05]
Yerevan (5.3) 2021
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b3 c5 3.Bb2 d6 4.e3 e5 5.Bb5+ Nbd7 6.d4 cxd4 7.exd4 e4 8.Nfd2 d5 9.Be2 Bd6 10.c4 0-0 11.Nc3 Re8 12.c5 Bc7 13.b4 Nf8 14.Nf1 Ne6 15.g3 b6 16.c6 Qd6 17.a3 Qxc6 18.Bb5 Qd6 19.Bxe8 Nxe8 20.Ne3 Nf6 21.Nb5 Qd7 22.Nxc7 Qxc7 23.Rc1 Qd7 24.Qc2 Ba6 25.Qc6 Qd8 26.Nf5 Rc8 27.Qxc8 Bxc8 28.Rxc8 1-0
Petrosyan, M (2628)-Babujian, L (2455) [A28]
Yerevan (5.1) 2021
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bb5 Nxc3 7.bxc3 Bd6 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 0-0 10.0-0 Bf5 11.Re1 Nb4 12.e4 Bg4 13.Be2 c5 14.Bg5 Be7 15.Be3 cxd4 16.Nxd4 Bxe2 17.Rxe2 Bf6 18.Rb1 Bxd4 19.Qxd4 Qxd4 20.Bxd4 Nc6 21.Be3 Rfd8 22.f3 b6 23.Rc1 Ne5 24.Rec2 h6 25.Kf1 Rd3 26.Ke2 Ra3 27.Rd1 Re8 28.Rd5 Ra4 29.Rd4 Ra3 30.Bc1 Ra5 31.Bd2 Rb5 32.Bb4 a5 33.Bd6 Ng6 34.Kf2 Rb1 35.Rdd2 b5 36.Rb2 Rxb2 37.Rxb2 b4 38.Bc7 Ra8 39.Ke3 Ne7 40.Kd4 a4 41.Bd6 Nc6+ 42.Kd5 a3 43.Rc2 b3 44.Rxc6 Ra5+ 45.Kd4 bxa2 46.Rc1 Rb5 47.Ra1 Rb2 48.g4 Rd2+ 49.Ke5 Rxh2 50.Bxa3 Rc2 51.Kd4 g5 52.Kd3 Rf2 53.Ke3 Rc2 54.Bb4 Kh7 55.Bd2 Rb2 56.Kd3 Kg6 57.Bc3 Rf2 58.Ke3 Rc2 59.Bd4 Rh2 60.Kd3 h5 61.gxh5+ Kxh5 62.Be3 f6 63.Bd2 Rh3 64.Ke2 Rh2+ 65.Ke3 Rh3 66.Ke2 Rh2+ 67.Kd3 Rh3 68.Rxa2 Rxf3+ 69.Ke2 Rb3 70.Ra6 Kg6 71.Rc6 g4 72.Bc3 Kg5 73.Bd2+ Kg6 74.e5 Kf5 75.exf6 Kg6 76.Bc3 Rb5 77.Kf2 Rf5+ 78.Kg2 Rf3 79.Rc7 Kh6 80.Be5 Rf5 81.Re7 Kg6 82.Kg3 Kh5 83.Rh7+ Kg6 84.Rg7+ Kh6 85.Bf4+ Kh5 86.f7 Rf6 87.Rg5+ Kh6 88.Rf5+ 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qg4!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Bg7 2.Qe6#; 1…Bf6, Kxe8 2.Qg8#; 1…Kf6 2.Rf8#./PN
