THE 81st National Chess Championship of Armenia started on Feb. 16at the Armenian capital of Yerevan with 12 of the country’s top chess players competing in a single round robin with a classical time format.
The players are GMs Robert Hovhannisyan (2642), Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (2640), Manuel Petrosyan (2628), Haik M. Martirosyan (2622), Zaven Andriasian (2606), Arman Pashikian (2606), Tigran L. Petrosian (2601), Shant Sargsyan (2596), Hovhannes Gabuzyan (2557), Tigran K. Harutyunian (2549), Levon Babujian (2455), and IM Mamikon Gharibyan (2423). This Category 14 (average Elo: 2577) event has a time control of 90 minutes for 40 moves followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, plus a 30-second increment after each move. The winner automatically earns a spot in the Armenia national team. Although missing Armenian top five players Levon Aronian, Gabriel Sargissian, Hrant Melkumyan, Sergey Movsesian, and Karen Grigoryan, the event can still boast of its impressive roster.
Round one produced three decisive games with Hovhannisyan, Ter-Sahakyan, and Pashikian winning over Babujian, Andriasian, and Gharibyan, respectively. On the other hand, the Gabuzyan vs. Petrosyan, Martirosyan vs. Harutyunian, and the Sargsyan vs. Petrosian matches were all drawn.
The standings after Round 1: 1-3. Hovhannisyan, Ter-Sahakyan and Pashikian, 1; 4-9. Gabuzyan, Petrosyan, Martirosyan, Harutyunian, Sargsyan, Petrosian, ½; 10-12. Babujian, Andriasian, Gharibyan, 0.
Hovhannisyan, R (2642)-Babujian, L (2455) [B84]
Yerevan (1.3) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e6 7.Be3 Nbd7 8.g4 h6 9.f4 Qa5 10.0-0 b5 11.Bf3 e5 12.Nf5 b4 13.Ne2 d5 14.exd5 e4 15.Bg2 Nxg4 16.Bd4 Ndf6 17.Neg3 g6 18.Ne3 Bc5 19.Nc4 Qb5 20.b3 Bxd4+ 21.Qxd4 Qxd5 22.Qxd5 Nxd5 23.Nxe4 0-0 24.Nc5 Be6 25.Rae1 Rac8 26.Nxe6 fxe6 27.h3 Ngf6 28.Rxe6 Nc3 29.Rxa6 Nh5 30.Rxg6+ Kh7 31.f5 Rc7 32.Rb6 Ng3 33.Rf3 Nxf5 34.Nd6 Ne2+ 35.Kh2 Ned4 36.Rxf5 Nxf5 37.Be4 Re7 38.Bxf5+ Kh8 39.Bd3 Rd7 40.Ne4 Ra8 1-0
Ter-Sahakyan, S (2640)-Andriasian, Z (2606) [B90]
Yerevan (1.4) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 Ng4 7.Bc1 Nf6 8.f3 Qb6 9.g4 Nc6 10.Nb3 e6 11.Qe2 Qc7 12.Be3 b5 13.0-0-0 Bb7 14.Kb1 Rc8 15.g5 Nd7 16.Qf2 Nce5 17.a3 Be7 18.Rg1 0-0 19.Rg3 Ba8 20.f4 Nc4 21.Bc1 Qb6 22.Qxb6 Ndxb6 23.Nd4 Rfe8 24.f5 e5 25.Nde2 a5 26.f6 Bf8 27.Nxb5 Bxe4 28.Nec3 Bg6 29.b3 d5 30.bxc4 d4 31.Na2 Nxc4 32.Bd3 Nb6 33.Bxg6 hxg6 34.fxg7 Kxg7 35.Na7 Rc4 36.Rb3 Na4 37.Rb7 Nc5 38.Rb5 Bd6 39.Nc6 Ne4 40.Nxa5 Rcc8 41.Nb7 Bb8 42.Re1 Nf2 43.Re2 Nd1 44.Nc5 Ba7 45.Ne4 Rb8 46.Rxb8 Rxb8+ 47.Nb4 1-0
Sargsyan, S (2596)-Petrosian, TL (2601) [E11]
Yerevan (1.5) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 Bb4+ 4.Bd2 Bxd2+ 5.Qxd2 0-0 6.g3 d6 7.Nc3 Nbd7 8.Bg2 e5 9.0-0 Re8 10.e4 c6 11.Rad1 Qe7 12.h3 Nf8 13.Rfe1 Ng6 14.a3 h6 15.b4 a5 16.d5 axb4 17.axb4 cxd5 18.exd5 Bd7 19.Qe3 Rec8 20.Nd2 Ne8 21.Ra1 Rab8 22.Ra7 Qg5 23.Qxg5 hxg5 24.Nce4 g4 25.hxg4 Bxg4 26.f3 Bd7 27.c5 f5 28.Bh3 Rc7 29.cxd6 Rc2 30.Nc5 Nxd6 31.Nxd7 Rd8 32.Ne4 fxe4 33.fxe4 Kh7 34.Nc5 Rf8 35.Rf1 Rxf1+ 36.Bxf1 Rc3 37.Kh2 b6 38.Ne6 Nxe4 39.Nxg7 Kh6 40.Nf5+ Kg5 41.d6 Rc2+ 42.Bg2 Rd2 43.d7 Nf6 44.Ne3 Nxd7 45.Rb7 e4 46.Nf1 ½-½
Gharibyan, M (2423)-Pashikian, A (2606) [D38]
Yerevan (1.6) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 Ne4 8.Qc2 b6 9.e3 Na5 10.cxd5 exd5 11.Bd3 Bb7 12.0-0 0-0 13.h3 Rc8 14.Ne5 f6 15.Ng4 h5 16.Nh2 c5 17.f3 c4 18.Be2 Ng3 19.Re1 Nxe2+ 20.Rxe2 Qd7 21.Bb2 Rce8 22.Rae1 f5 23.f4 Bc6 24.Nf3 Ba4 25.Qb1 Nb7 26.Ne5 Qc8 27.Bc1 Rf6 28.g4 hxg4 29.hxg4 fxg4 30.Rh2 Qf5 31.Qxf5 Rxf5 32.e4 dxe4 33.Rxe4 Nd6 34.Re1 Bc6 35.Rh4 Bd5 36.Rxg4 Rh5 37.Kf2 Ne4+ 38.Rxe4 Bxe4 39.Nxc4 Rh2+ 40.Kg3 Rc2 0-1
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PUZZLERS
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WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Nd5!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Rxd5 2.Sc6#; 1…c3 2.Qd3#; 1…Kxd5 2.Rd1#; 1…Be4 2.Qxe4#; 1…Bxd5 2.Qxf6#./PN