THE clash in Round 8 of the top two players in the standings of the 81st Armenian Championship Highest League now ongoing in Yerevan didn’t disappoint observers of the event. GMs Hovhannes Gabuzyan and Arman Pashikian fought hard for 41 moves of a Nimzo-Larsen opening but had to halve the point after 41 moves when Pashikian found a sacrificial move that initiated a perpetual.
Thus, Gabuzyan kept the lead and Pashikian maintained his solo second status half-a-point behind with three rounds to go. The winners in Round 8 were GMs Samvel Ter-Sahakyan, Manuel Petrosyan, and Tigran Harutyunian who defeated GMs Robert Hovhannisyan, Levon Babujian, and Tigran Petrosian, respectively.
The matches Shant Sargsyan versus Zaven Andriasian and Haik Martirosyan versus Mamikon Gharibyan were both drawn.
The standings after Round 8: 1. Gabuzyan, 6½; 2. Pashikian, 6; 3-4. Ter-Sahakyan, Harutyunian, 5½; 5. Petrosyan, 4½; 6-7. Martirosyan, Sargsyan, 4; 8-9. Gharibyan, Hovhannisyan, 3½; 10. Andriasian, 3; 11. Petrosian, 1½; 12. Babujian, ½.
Sargsyan, S (2596)-Andriasian, Z (2606) [B97]
Yerevan (8.1) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Qd3 Nc6 9.0-0-0 Bd7 10.Nxc6 Bxc6 11.f5 Qc5 12.Be2 Be7 13.Be3 Qa5 14.fxe6 fxe6 15.Qc4 Bd7 16.Qb3 Rc8 17.Qxb7 Rxc3 18.bxc3 0-0 19.Qb4 Qc7 20.Bf4 a5 21.Bxd6 Bxd6 22.Qxd6 Qxc3 23.Qd4 Qa3+ 24.Kd2 e5 25.Qd3 Qe7 26.Ke1 Be6 27.Qd6 Qf7 28.Rf1 Bxa2 29.Qa3 Ra8 30.Rd6 a4 31.Ra6 Rxa6 32.Bxa6 Bc4 33.Bxc4 Qxc4 34.Qd3 Qb4+ 35.Ke2 h6 36.Kf3 Kh7 37.Ra1 h5 38.h3 h4 39.c4 Nh5 40.Kg4 Nf4 41.Qd7 Qc3 42.Qf5+ Kg8 43.Qc8+ Kh7 ½-½
Petrosyan, M (2628)-Babujian, L (2455) [D85]
Yerevan (8.2) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 Nb6 6.e3 Bg7 7.h4 Nc6 8.f4 h5 9.Nf3 0-0 10.Ng5 Bg4 11.Be2 Bxe2 12.Qxe2 Nb4 13.Rc1 a5 14.Nce4 Nxa2 15.Rc5 Na4 16.Rb5 Nb4 17.g4 c6 18.Rxb7 Qc8 19.Rxe7 Qxg4 20.Qxg4 hxg4 21.b3 Nb6 22.Ke2 N6d5 23.Rb7 Rae8 24.h5 gxh5 25.f5 Rb8 26.Ra7 Nc2 27.f6 Nxf6 28.Nxf6+ Bxf6 29.Ne4 Bg7 30.Rxh5 Rfe8 31.Kd3 Nb4+ 32.Bxb4 Rxb4 33.Nc5 Bf6 34.Rxa5 Kg7 35.Ra6 Rc8 36.Kc3 Rbb8 37.Rf5 Rb5 38.Kc4 g3 39.Rf3 Bh4 40.Rf4 Rh8 41.Rg4+ Kf6 42.Rxc6+ Kf5 43.Rf4+ Kg5 44.Kxb5 g2 45.Ne4+ Kh5 46.Rc5+ f5 47.Rfxf5+ Kg4 48.Rf4+ Kh3 49.Ng5+ Kg3 50.Nf3 Rb8+ 51.Kc4 1-0
Gabuzyan, H (2557)-Pashikian, A (2606) [A01]
Yerevan (8.3) 2021
1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Bf5 3.g3 e6 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.d3 Be7 6.Nd2 h6 7.e4 Bh7 8.Ngf3 0-0 9.Qe2 a5 10.a3 a4 11.b4 c5 12.b5 Qa5 13.c4 dxe4 14.dxe4 Nxe4 15.0-0 Nf6 16.Ne5 Qc7 17.Rad1 Nbd7 18.Nxd7 Nxd7 19.Ne4 Rad8 20.h4 Bf5 21.Rfe1 Nb6 22.Bc3 Rxd1 23.Rxd1 Nc8 24.Qc2 Rd8 25.Qxa4 Nb6 26.Rxd8+ Qxd8 27.Qa7 Nxc4 28.Qxb7 Nxa3 29.Nd2 Bd6 30.Qa6 Nc2 31.Ba5 Qf8 32.Nc4 Bb8 33.Nb6 Qd8 34.Nc8 Qd1+ 35.Kh2 Kh7 36.Ne7 Bxg3+ 37.fxg3 Ne3 38.Qa8 Ng4+ 39.Kh3 Nf2+ 40.Kh2 Ng4+ 41.Kh3 Nf2+ ½-½
Hovhannisyan, R (2642)-Ter-Sahakyan, S (2640) [B92]
Yerevan (8.4) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be2 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.Be3 Be6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Qd3 Nbd7 11.a4 Rc8 12.a5 Qc7 13.Rfd1 Rfd8 14.Bf3 Nc5 15.Nxc5 dxc5 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.exd5 f5 18.Qb3 Bf7 19.c4 e4 20.Be2 f4 21.Bd2 Rf8 22.Bg4 Rce8 23.Qb6 Qxb6 24.axb6 Bd6 25.Re1 h5 26.Bd1 Bg6 27.Bc2 Bf5 28.Re2 Re7 29.Bc3 Rfe8 30.Rae1 Bh7 31.g3 f3 32.Re3 h4 33.Rb1 hxg3 34.hxg3 Rc8 35.Kf1 Kf7 36.Ke1 Bf5 37.Kd2 Rh8 38.Rg1 Rh2 39.Ke1 g5 40.Bb1 g4 41.Rf1 Kg6 42.Kd1 Re8 43.b3 Kf7 44.Bd2 Bf8 45.Kc1 Bh6 46.Kb2 Bg7+ 47.Ka3 Bd4 48.d6 Re6 49.d7 Ke7 50.Rd1 Kxd7 51.Bc3 Rxf2 52.Bxe4 Ke7 53.Bxd4 cxd4 54.Rxd4 Re2 55.Bxf5 R2xe3 56.Rxg4 Rxb6 57.Ka4 Rbxb3 58.Rf4 b6 59.c5 bxc5 60.Ka5 Rb4 0-1
Martirosyan, HM (2622)-Gharibyan, M (2423) [E16]
Yerevan (8.5) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Nbd2 0-0 7.0-0 d5 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Ne5 Re8 10.a3 Bf8 11.Ndf3 Ne4 12.Bf4 c5 13.dxc5 bxc5 14.Qb3 Qb6 15.Qa4 Nc6 16.Nd7 Qa6 17.Qxa6 Bxa6 18.Nxf8 Kxf8 19.Rfe1 Rad8 20.Rac1 f6 21.h4 Bc4 22.Bh3 Re7 23.Bf5 g6 24.Bxe4 dxe4 25.Nd2 Ba6 26.Be3 Nd4 27.Rxc5 Nxe2+ 28.Kg2 Nd4 29.g4 Kf7 30.b4 Bb7 31.Kg3 Ne6 32.Rc3 f5 33.Nc4 Kg7 34.Rec1 Rf8 35.gxf5 gxf5 36.Bf4 Nd4 37.Bd6 Ne2+ 38.Kh2 Re6 39.Bxf8+ Kxf8 40.Na5 Nxc1 41.Rxc1 Bd5 42.Rd1 Ba2 43.Rd2 Bb1 44.Kg3 e3 45.fxe3 Rxe3+ 46.Kf4 Rxa3 47.Rd7 Ra4 48.Nc6 Be4 49.Nd4 Rxb4 50.Ne6+ Ke8 51.Rxh7 Bd5+ 52.Ke5 Bxe6 53.Kxe6 Kf8 54.Rxa7 Rxh4 55.Kf6 Rh6+ 56.Kxf5 ½-½
Petrosian, TL (2601)-Harutyunian, TK (2549) [A06]
Yerevan (8.6) 2021
1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Bf5 3.Nf3 e6 4.e3 Nf6 5.Be2 h6 6.d3 Be7 7.Nbd2 a5 8.a3 c5 9.Ne5 Bh7 10.g4 d4 11.exd4 cxd4 12.Bf3 Nd5 13.Bxd4 0-0 14.Bb2 Qc7 15.0-0 Ra6 16.Re1 Nf4 17.Be4 f6 18.Bxh7+ Kxh7 19.Nec4 Nd7 20.Qf3 f5 21.gxf5 Rxf5 22.a4 Bf6 23.Bxf6 Nxf6 24.Ne4 Nxe4 25.Rxe4 e5 26.Kh1 Raf6 27.Rf1 Ne6 28.Qg3 Ng5 29.Rxe5 Qc6+ 30.Qg2 Nf3 31.Re4 Rh5 32.h3 Qd7 33.Rg4 Rf4 34.Ne5 Rxh3+ 35.Qxh3 Nxe5 36.Rg3 Qd5+ 37.Qg2 Nf3 38.Rxg7+ Kh8 39.Rg3 Rh4+ 40.Rh3 Qh5 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Rd7!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…cxd4 2.cxd5#; 1…dxc4 2.Qa5#; 1…Kxc4 2.Qxc5#; 1…Kxd4 2.Rf4#./PN
