The 82nd edition of the Armenian Chess Championship unfolded January 12th at Yerevan with 12 of that country’s leading grandmasters competing in a single round robin event.
While missing the presence of Armenia’s top grandmasters, tournament organizers still managed to put up a decent roster that adds up to a Category 13 (average Elo: 2572) event with a classical time control. The players are GMs Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (2637), Shant Sargsyan (2628), Haik M. Martirosyan (2621), Manuel Petrosyan (2620), Arman Pashikian (2606), Hovhannes Gabuzyan (2589), Zaven Andriasian (2578), Tigran L. Petrosian (2573), Tigran K. Harutyunyan (2552), Arman Mikaelyan (2508), and IMs David Shahinyan (2486) and Mamikon Gharibyan (2467). The top four players of Armenia – Gabriel Sargissian, Hrant Melkumyan, Karen Grigoryan and Robert Hovhannisyan – opted not to participate.
For those wondering, erstwhile top Armenia player Levon Aronian has transferred to the USA.
Three decisive games occurred in the opening round with Gabuzyan trouncing Gharibyan, Martirosyan drubbing Petrosian, and Shahinyan beating Harutyunyan in a crushing upset. The rest of the Round 1 matches ended in draws. The matches Andriasian vs Pashikian, Sargsyan vs Petrosyan and Mikaelyan vs Ter-Sahakyan turned out point-splitters.
Gharibyan,M (2467)-Gabuzyan,H (2589) [A56]
Yerevan (1.1) 2022
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.d5 g6 4.Nc3 Bg7 5.e4 d6 6.Be2 e6 7.Be3 exd5 8.cxd5 Qa5 9.f3 0-0 10.a4 a6 11.Kf2 Nbd7 12.Nh3 Qb4 13.Qc2 Ne5 14.a5 b5 15.Nf4 Nh5 16.Nxh5 gxh5 17.Nxb5 axb5 18.Bd2 Qd4+ 19.Be3 Ng4+ 20.fxg4 Qf6+ 21.Kg3 Bxg4 22.Bxg4 Qg6 23.h3 Rfe8 24.Kf3 hxg4+ 25.hxg4 Bxb2 26.Rab1 Bd4 27.Rxb5 Bxe3 28.Kxe3 Qxg4 29.Rh3 h5 30.Kf2 Rxe4 31.a6 Qf4+ 32.Rf3 Qh4+ 33.Rg3+ Rg4 34.Rbb3 Rxa6 35.Qb2 Ra8 36.Rbf3 Qg5 37.Qc2 Qxd5 0-1
Sargsyan,S (2628)-Petrosyan,M (2620) [E06]
Yerevan (1.4) 2022
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bf4 Bd6 11.Qc1 a5 12.Bd2 Nbd7 13.Nc3 Ne4 14.Rd1 Nxd2 15.Qxd2 Nf6 16.Qc2 Bb4 17.Ne5 Bxg2 18.Kxg2 c6 19.e4 Qe7 20.Nc4 Rfd8 21.Rac1 h6 22.Qe2 Nd7 23.e5 Nb8 24.Ne4 Na6 25.h4 Nc7 26.Qg4 Nd5 27.Ne3 Kh8 28.Rd3 Rd7 29.Qh5 f5 30.ef6 Nf6 31.Nxf6 Qxf6 32.Ng4 Qf5 33.Qxf5 exf5 34.Ne5 Rd5 35.h5 Kg8 36.f4 Rad8 37.Rcd1 Kf8 38.Kf3 Ke7 39.Nc4 Kf6 40.Nb6 R5d6 41.Nc4 ½-½
Martirosyan,HM (2621)-Petrosian,TL (2573) [D27]
Yerevan (1.5) 2022
1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.e3 e6 5.Bxc4 c5 6.0-0 a6 7.b3 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Be7 9.Bb2 0-0 10.Be2 Bd7 11.Nd2 Nc6 12.Bf3 Rc8 13.Nc4 Nd5 14.Rc1 Nxd4 15.Qxd4 Bf6 16.Qd2 Bb5 17.Rfd1 Bxb2 18.Qxb2 Qg5 19.Rd4 Qf6 20.Qd2 Rc7 21.Rd1 h6 22.h3 Bc6 23.Na5 Rfc8 24.Rc1 g6 25.Rdc4 Kg7 26.Nxb7 Rxb7 27.Rxc6 Rd8 28.Rxa6 Rbd7 29.Qe1 Qb2 30.Ra4 Nb6 31.Rb4 Nd5 32.Ra4 Nf6 33.Rb1 Qc2 34.Qc1 Rd2 35.Qxc2 Rxc2 36.b4 Rc4 37.Ra8 Rd2 38.b5 e5 39.b6 e4 40.b7 1-0
Harutyunyan,TK (2552)-Shahinyan,D (2486) [A04]
Yerevan (1.6) 2022
1.Nf3 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 d5 5.0-0 Be7 6.b3 Nc6 7.d4 Ne4 8.Bb2 h5 9.h4 g5 10.hxg5 Bxg5 11.Nxg5 Qxg5 12.Qc1 Qg7 13.Qf4 h4 14.Nc3 Nxd4 15.Qe3 f4 16.Qd3 hxg3 17.fxg3 Nxg3 18.Rxf4 e5 19.Rxd4 exd4 20.Nxd5 c5 21.Qe3+ Kd8 22.Qd2 Rh1+ 23.Kf2 Ne4+ 24.Bxe4 Rh2+ 0-1
******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qg3!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Ke1 2.Nf3#; 1…Kc1 2.Nb3#; 1…Kc3 2. Nb5#; 1…e1=Q+/R+ 2.Ne2#; 1…e1=N+ 2.Ng4#.
