GM Hovik Hayrapetyan kept his half-point lead after Round 4 of the 11th Andranik Margaryan Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia, but a stronger threat to his leadership loomed as top seed IM Sergei Lobanov displaced IM Rudik Makaryan as solo second-placer.
Lobanov defeated GM Levon Babujian while Hayrapetyan was held to an intense and interesting fighting draw by GM Arman Mikaelyan.
On the other hand, Makaryan was knocked off his perch by FM Denis Lazavik.
The other Round 4 matches ended in draws with FM Armen Barseghyan splitting the point with IM Bardiya Daneshvar, as did IM Mamikon Gharibyan and WGM Anna Sargisyan.
Standings after Round 4: 1. Hayrapetyan, 3½; 2. Lobanov, 3; 3-4. Lazavik, Makaryan, 2½; 5-6. Mikaelyan, Babujian, 2; 7-8. Sargsyan, Daneshvar, 1½; 9. Gharibyan, 1; 10. Barseghyan, ½.
Mikaelyan, A (2485)-Hayrapetyan, H (2488) [E12]
Yerevan (4.2) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.Nf3 Be7 5.Bg5 0-0 6.e3 b6 7.Bd3 Bb7 8.0-0 Nbd7 9.Qe2 Ne4 10.Bf4 Bd6 11.cxd5 Nxc3 12.bxc3 Bxd5 13.Bg3 Bxg3 14.hxg3 Qe7 15.e4 Bb7 16.a4 a5 17.e5 Rfd8 18.Be4 Bxe4 19.Qxe4 Rac8 20.Rfd1 h6 21.c4 Nb8 22.g4 Na6 23.Rd2 Nb4 24.Rad1 c5 25.g5 cxd4 26.gxh6 d3 27.hxg7 f5 28.exf6 Qxf6 29.Ne5 Qf5 30.Qh4 Kxg7 31.Re1 Rh8 32.Qe7+ Kg8 33.g4 Rh7 34.gxf5 Rxe7 35.f6 Rf7 36.Nxf7 Kxf7 37.Re4 Kxf6 38.f3 Na6 39.Rxd3 Nc5 40.Rf4+ Ke5 41.Rdd4 Nxa4 42.Kf2 Nc3 43.Rh4 b5 44.cxb5 Nxb5 45.Rde4+ Kd6 46.Rh6 Nc7 47.f4 Ra8 48.Rd4+ Kc5 49.Rd1 a4 50.Rc1+ Kd6 51.Ra1 a3 52.Rh3 a2 53.Rd3+ Nd5 54.Rd2 Rf8 55.Raxa2 Rxf4+ 56.Kg3 Re4 57.Rh2 Re3+ 58.Kg4 Rc3 59.Rh6 Nc7 60.Rh8 Rc5 61.Rf8 Ke7 62.Raf2 Rc4+ 63.Kg5 Rc5+ 64.Kg6 Rf5 65.R8xf5 exf5 66.Kxf5 Ne8 67.Re2+ Kd7 68.Ke5 Nc7 69.Rc2 Nb5 70.Rh2 Kc6 71.Rd2 Nc7 72.Rc2+ Kd7 73.Rc5 Ne8 74.Rb5 Kc6 75.Rb8 Nc7 76.Rc8 Kd7 77.Rxc7+ Kxc7 78.Ke4 ½-½
Lobanov, S (2510)-Babujian, L (2440) [C84]
Yerevan (4.4) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 0-0 8.Nc3 d6 9.a3 Bg4 10.Be3 Kh8 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Nd4 13.Bxd4 exd4 14.Nd5 Nd7 15.a4 c6 16.Nxe7 Qxe7 17.axb5 Ne5 18.Qg3 axb5 19.f4 Nd7 20.Qf2 c5 21.Bd5 Rxa1 22.Rxa1 Nf6 23.Bc6 Rb8 24.Ra5 b4 25.Ba4 Qd8 26.Ra7 Ra8 27.Rxa8 Qxa8 28.Bb3 d5 29.e5 Nd7 30.Qh4 f6 31.Qg4 Qc6 32.e6 Nb6 33.e7 Kg8 34.Qh5 g6 35.Bxd5+ Nxd5 36.Qxd5+ Qxd5 37.e8Q+ Kg7 38.Qe7+ Kg8 39.Qe8+ Kg7 40.Qe7+ Kg8 41.Qxf6 b3 42.c3 Qa8 43.Qe6+ Kg7 44.Qxb3 Qa1+ 45.Kh2 Qc1 46.Qb7+ Kh6 47.Qb8 Qd2 48.Qf8+ Kh5 49.Qxc5+ Kh6 50.Qxd4 Qxb2 51.Qd6 Kg7 52.c4 Qf2 53.c5 h5 54.c6 h4 55.Qe5+ Kf7 56.c7 1-0
Makaryan, R (2461)-Lazavik, D (2436) [D17]
Yerevan (4.5) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.Ne5 Nbd7 7.Nxc4 Nb6 8.Ne5 a5 9.f3 Nfd7 10.e4 Nxe5 11.dxe5 Qxd1+ 12.Nxd1 Be6 13.Nf2 g6 14.h4 Nd7 15.f4 f6 16.h5 Rg8 17.Nh3 Nc5 18.hxg6 hxg6 19.f5 gxf5 20.Be3 Nxe4 21.Nf4 Bb3 22.Ra3 fxe5 23.Rxb3 exf4 24.Bxf4 e5 25.Bxe5 Bb4+ 26.Rxb4 axb4 27.Bc4 Rxa4 28.b3 Ra5 29.Bd4 Rf8 30.Rh7 Nd6 31.Be6 Nf7 32.Bf6 Ra2 33.g3 Rg2 34.Bh4 Rh2 35.Kf1 Rd2 36.Rg7 f4 37.Ke1 Rd6 38.Bc8 Rh8 39.Bxb7 Kf8 40.Rg4 Rd4 41.Bf6 Rh1+ 42.Ke2 f3+ 43.Kxf3 Rf1+ 44.Ke2 Rxg4 45.Kxf1 Rxg3 46.Ke2 c5 47.Bd5 Rg6 48.Bh4 Ne5 49.Bf2 Nd7 50.Be4 Re6 51.Kd3 Ke7 52.Bf5 Re5 53.Bh4+ Nf6 54.Bc8 Rd5+ 55.Ke2 Rh5 56.Bg3 Ne4 57.Bf4 Nd6 58.Bg4 Rd5 59.Bf3 Rf5 60.Be3 Re5 61.Kd3 Kd7 62.Bf4 Re1 63.Be3 Rb1 64.Kc2 Rf1 65.Be2 Re1 66.Kd2 Ra1 67.Bf3 Ra5 68.Kc2 Kc7 69.Bf4 Ra2+ 70.Kd3 Rf2 71.Ke3 Rf1 72.Ke2 Rb1 73.Bd5 Rb2+ 74.Kd3 Rf2 75.Ke3 Rf1 76.Bf3 Rg1 77.Kd3 Rg6 78.Bh5 Rf6 79.Ke3 Kb6 80.Bg5 Nf5+ 81.Kf4 Ng7+ 82.Ke4 0-1
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Nc5!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…bxc5 2.Bxc5#; 1…Re6/xf4 2.Q(x)e6#; 1…Rd4 2.Rxd4#; 1…Rd5 2.Sc4#./PN
