TORRID action continued at the 81st Armenian Championship Highest League in Yerevan with GM Hovhannes Gabuzyan grabbing the solo lead after five fiery rounds of play that saw 12 decisive games in three rounds.
Gabuzyan won his last four outings beginning round two versus GM Shant Sargsyan, top seed GM Robert Hovhannisyan, GM Haik Martirosyan, and IM Mamikon Gharibyan. The 26-year-old Gabuzyan is the only undefeated player in this Category 14 (average Elo: 2577) single round robin event. Trailing half-a-point behind Gabuzyan in solo second is GM Arman Pashikian, who has also strung up four wins against a solitary loss to GM Manuel Petrosyan. Only the hapless and luckless GM Levon Babujian is scoreless in the event, having lost five games straight.
The standings after Round 5: 1. Gabuzyan, 4½; 2. Pashikian, 4; 3-5. Harutyunian, Ter-Sahakyan, Petrosyan, 3; 6-8. Hovhannisyan, Sargsyan, Martirosyan, 2½; 9. Gharibyan, 2; 10-11. Andriasian, Petrosian, 1½; 12. Babujian, 0.
Petrosyan, M (2628)-Pashikian, A (2606) [D38]
Yerevan (4.3) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4 c6 7.e3 Bf5 8.a3 Bd6 9.Bxd6 Qxd6 10.Nh4 Be6 11.Bd3 Nbd7 12.Qc2 c5 13.dxc5 Nxc5 14.Bb5+ Ke7 15.0-0 Nce4 16.Ne2 Rhc8 17.Qd1 Qb6 18.Nd4 a6 19.Bd3 Rc7 20.Qe2 Rac8 21.Rad1 g6 22.h3 Bd7 23.Nhf3 Ba4 24.Rb1 Kf8 25.Rfe1 Kg7 26.Qf1 Nc5 27.Be2 Nb3 28.Bd1 Nxd4 29.Nxd4 Bxd1 30.Rexd1 h5 31.Qd3 Rc4 32.Ne2 Qc5 33.Nd4 b5 34.Qe2 Qb6 35.f3 b4 36.b3 Rc3 37.axb4 Re8 38.Rd3 Qxb4 39.Qe1 Rec8 40.Ne2 1-0
Gabuzyan, H (2557)-Martirosyan, HM (2622) [A14]
Yerevan (4.4) 2021
1.c4 e6 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 d5 4.b3 Be7 5.Bb2 0-0 6.Bg2 b6 7.0-0 Bb7 8.cxd5 Nxd5 9.d4 Nd7 10.Re1 N5f6 11.Nc3 c5 12.e4 cxd4 13.Nxd4 Ne5 14.f4 Bc5 15.Na4 Bxd4+ 16.Bxd4 Nc6 17.Bb2 Qxd1 18.Raxd1 Rfd8 19.e5 Ne8 20.Nc3 Rxd1 21.Rxd1 Rd8 22.Rc1 Rd2 23.Ba3 h6 24.Nb1 Rxg2+ 25.Kxg2 Nxe5+ 26.Kf1 Ng4 27.h3 Ne3+ 28.Kf2 Nd5 29.Nd2 Nef6 30.Bd6 Nd7 31.g4 f5 32.Re1 Kf7 33.Nc4 N5f6 34.Be5 Ne4+ 35.Ke3 Ndf6 36.Bxf6 Kxf6 37.Rc1 g5 38.Ne5 gxf4+ 39.Kxf4 Nf2 40.Nd7+ Kg6 41.Rc7 Nd3+ 42.Ke3 Be4 43.Rxa7 b5 44.h4 Nb4 45.a3 Nc6 46.Rc7 b4 47.Kf4 1-0
Sargsyan, S (2596)-Hovhannisyan, R (2642) [D11]
Yerevan (4.5) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 Bg4 5.h3 Bh5 6.g4 Bg6 7.Ne5 Be4 8.f3 Bxb1 9.Rxb1 e6 10.c5 Nbd7 11.Nd3 Qc7 12.Kf2 h6 13.b4 e5 14.dxe5 Nxe5 15.Nxe5 Qxe5 16.Bb2 Qe6 17.Qd4 Nd7 18.e4 dxe4 19.Bc4 Qe7 20.Rhe1 0-0-0 21.Qxe4 Qxe4 22.Rxe4 Nf6 23.Rd4 Nd5 24.Rbd1 Be7 25.Bxd5 cxd5 26.Rxd5 Bh4+ 27.Kf1 Rxd5 28.Rxd5 Re8 29.Re5 Rd8 30.Rh5 g5 31.Ke2 Re8+ 32.Kd3 Rd8+ 33.Kc2 Re8 34.Rxh6 Re2+ 35.Kb3 Re3+ 36.Kc4 Rxf3 37.b5 Rxh3 38.Rh8+ Kc7 39.Be5+ Kd7 40.Rb8 Ke6 41.Bd6 Rh1 42.Rxb7 Rc1+ 43.Kd3 Rb1 44.Re7+ Kf6 45.a4 Bg3 46.Rxa7 Bxd6 47.Ra6 Ke5 48.Rxd6 f5 49.gxf5 g4 50.Rg6 g3 51.c6 Kxf5 52.Rxg3 Rb3+ 53.Kc4 Rxg3 54.c7 1-0
Harutyunian, TK (2549)-Andriasian, Z (2606) [D02]
Yerevan (4.6) 2021
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.g3 d5 3.Bg2 Bg4 4.0-0 Nbd7 5.d4 e6 6.c4 Be7 7.Qb3 Qc8 8.Nc3 c6 9.Ne5 Bf5 10.Bg5 h6 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.cxd5 exd5 13.e4 Bxe5 14.exf5 Bxd4 15.Rfe1+ Kf8 16.Rac1 Bxc3 17.Rxc3 Nf6 18.g4 Kg8 19.Re7 Rb8 20.Rg3 Qf8 21.Rxb7 Re8 22.h3 Kh7 23.Re3 a5 24.Rxe8 Qxe8 25.Qc3 Rf8 26.Qxa5 Qe5 27.Qb4 Re8 28.Rxf7 d4 29.Bxc6 Qe1+ 30.Qxe1 Rxe1+ 31.Kg2 d3 32.Bf3 d2 33.h4 d1Q 34.Bxd1 Rxd1 35.g5 Kg8 36.Rb7 hxg5 37.hxg5 Nd7 38.b4 Kf8 39.a4 Ke7 40.a5 Rd5 41.a6 Rxf5 42.a7 Rf8 43.b5 Kd6 44.b6 1-0
Gharibyan, M (2423)-Gabuzyan, H (2557) [A59]
Yerevan (5.3) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 b5 4.cxb5 a6 5.bxa6 Bxa6 6.Nc3 d6 7.Nf3 g6 8.e4 Bxf1 9.Kxf1 Bg7 10.h3 0-0 11.g3 Qb6 12.Kg2 Na6 13.Re1 Nd7 14.a4 Rfb8 15.Ra3 Nc7 16.Re2 Qa6 17.Bg5 h6 18.Bxe7 Re8 19.Nb5 Qb6 20.Nxd6 Rxe7 21.Nc4 Qa6 22.b3 Nb6 23.Nfd2 Rd7 24.Nxb6 Qxb6 25.Nc4 Qb7 26.Qd3 Ne6 27.a5 Nd4 28.Re3 Ra7 29.Nb6 Rd8 30.Ra4 Qc7 31.f4 h5 32.h4 Nc6 33.Nc4 Nb4 34.Qd1 f5 35.Rxb4 cxb4 36.e5 Qb7 37.Rd3 Bf8 38.Qf3 Bc5 39.d6 Qxf3+ 40.Kxf3 Ra6 41.Rd5 Rc6 42.a6 Ra8 43.a7 Kf7 44.Na5 Ke6 45.Rd3 Rb6 46.d7 Be7 47.Nc4 Ra6 0-1
Pashikian, A (2606)-Harutyunian, TK (2549) [D85]
Yerevan (5.4) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Be3 c5 8.Nf3 Qa5 9.Qd2 0-0 10.Rc1 Bg4 11.d5 b5 12.Be2 Nd7 13.h3 Bxf3 14.Bxf3 c4 15.0-0 Rac8 16.Bg4 f5 17.exf5 gxf5 18.Be2 Nf6 19.Bf3 Rcd8 20.Bd4 Rf7 21.Rcd1 Rd6 22.Qc2 Qd8 23.Be5 Ne4 24.Bxe4 Bxe5 25.Bxf5 Kh8 26.Be6 Rf8 27.Rfe1 Bg7 28.Re4 Rf6 29.Rh4 h6 30.Rdd4 Qa5 31.Rdf4 Rdxe6 32.dxe6 Rxe6 33.Re4 Rxe4 34.Rxe4 Qxc3 35.Qxc3 Bxc3 36.Rxe7 Bd4 37.Rb7 Bb6 38.Kf1 b4 39.Ke2 b3 40.axb3 cxb3 41.Rxb6 axb6 42.Kd2 Kg7 43.g4 Kf6 44.f4 Ke6 45.Kc3 Kd5 46.Kxb3 Ke4 47.f5 Kd5 48.Kb4 Kc6 49.h4 Kd6 50.g5 1-0
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Nxe5!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Bxc4 2.Qxc4#; 1…Qxe5+ 2.Bxe5#; 1…Qc3 2.Sf3#; 1…Qd2 2.Sc6#; 1…Se3+/b2/f2 2.Q(x)e3#./PN
