WITH ONE round to go, GM Hovhannes Gabuzyan continued to keep a tight grip on the lead of the 81st Armenian Championship Highest League in Yerevan despite losing to GM Levon Babujian in the penultimate round. This is because his closest pursuer, GM Arman Pashikian, also lost his Round 10 match to top seed GM Robert Hovhannisyan.
Gabuzyan’s last round foe is the winless GM Tigran Petrosian, who is languishing in the bottom of the standings. With a full point lead over Pashikian and GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan, who got a share of the 2nd-3rd places, only a major disaster would gain him a tie for the championship. Not much has changed in the standings of the last two rounds and with the exception of Pashikian and Ter-Sahakyan who are mathematically able to catch up with Gabuzyan, the rest are simply out of it.
The standings after Round 10: 1. Gabuzyan, 7½; 2-3. Pashikian, Ter-Sahakyan, 6½; 4-7. Harutyunian, Sargsyan, Martirosyan, Petrosyan, 5½; 6-7. 4; 8. Hovhannisyan, 5; 9. Gharibyan, 4½; 10. Andriasian, 3½; 11. Babujian, 2½; 12. Petrosian, 2.
Harutyunian, TK (2549)-Gabuzyan, H (2557) [D42]
Yerevan (9.4) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 e6 3.c4 c5 4.e3 cxd4 5.exd4 d5 6.Nc3 Be7 7.cxd5 Nxd5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Re1 Bf6 11.Be4 Nce7 12.Qd3 g6 13.Bh6 Re8 14.Ne5 Nxc3 15.Qxc3 Nf5 16.Bf4 Nd6 17.Qf3 Bg7 18.Rac1 a5 19.Bg3 a4 20.h4 Rf8 21.h5 Nf5 22.Bxf5 exf5 23.d5 g5 24.h6 Bxh6 25.Qh5 Bg7 26.f4 Qxd5 27.Rcd1 Qxa2 28.fxg5 Qxb2 29.Nxf7 Rxf7 30.Re8+ Rf8 31.Kh1 Ra6 32.Rdd8 Be6 33.g6 hxg6 34.Qh4 Bf7 35.Rxf8+ Bxf8 36.Bf4 Re6 37.Bh6 Re8 38.Bxf8 Rxf8 0-1
Babujian, L (2455)-Petrosian, TL (2601) [A55]
Yerevan (9.6) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 d6 3.Nc3 e5 4.Nf3 Nbd7 5.e4 Be7 6.Be2 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.b3 Re8 9.d5 a6 10.Be3 cxd5 11.cxd5 b5 12.Nd2 Bb7 13.b4 Rc8 14.Qb3 Rc7 15.a4 bxa4 16.Rxa4 Qb8 17.Rfa1 Rec8 18.Nd1 g6 19.h3 Kg7 20.Bxa6 Bxa6 21.Rxa6 Qb5 22.Ra7 Rxa7 23.Rxa7 Qe2 24.Nc3 Qd3 25.Ra3 Bd8 26.Qb1 Qxb1+ 27.Ndxb1 Nb6 28.Ra6 Nfd7 29.Nb5 Rc4 30.Nxd6 Rxb4 31.Nc3 Be7 32.Ncb5 Bxd6 33.Nxd6 Nc4 34.Nxc4 Rxc4 35.f3 Rc7 36.Kh2 f6 37.Rc6 Rb7 38.d6 Rb3 39.Rc7 Rxe3 40.Rxd7+ Kh6 41.Rf7 Kg5 42.Kg3 1-0
Sargsyan, S (2596)-Harutyunian, TK (2549) [B30]
Yerevan (10.2) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e5 4.0-0 Bd6 5.d4 Nxd4 6.Bc4 Nxf3+ 7.Qxf3 Nf6 8.Rd1 Be7 9.Bg5 0-0 10.Nc3 a6 11.a4 d6 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.Qd3 Be7 14.Nd5 Bg5 15.Qb3 Rb8 16.Nb6 Be7 17.Rd3 Bg4 18.a5 Be2 19.Rd2 Bxc4 20.Nxc4 Qc7 21.Rad1 Rfd8 22.Rd5 Qc6 23.Qd3 Kf8 24.Kf1 Qb5 25.b3 Rbc8 26.Ke2 h6 27.g3 Qb4 28.h4 Kg8 29.h5 Re8 30.Kf3 Bf8 31.Qd2 Qb5 32.Nxd6 Bxd6 33.Rxd6 Rc6 34.Rxc6 Qxc6 35.Qd7 Qf6+ 36.Kg2 Re7 37.Qd8+ Kh7 38.Qf8 g6 39.Rd8 1-0
Gabuzyan, H (2557)-Babujian, L (2455) [A11]
Yerevan (10.3) 2021
1.c4 e5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 c6 4.d3 d5 5.cxd5 cxd5 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Bg5 0-0 9.Nc3 Be6 10.Rc1 Rc8 11.a3 h6 12.Bxf6 Bxf6 13.e4 dxe4 14.dxe4 Qb6 15.b4 Nd4 16.Nxd4 exd4 17.Nd5 Bxd5 18.exd5 Rc3 19.Rxc3 dxc3 20.Re1 a5 21.bxa5 Qxa5 22.Qb3 Qc5 23.Re2 Bd4 24.Qb4 Ra8 25.Qxb7 Qxa3 26.Be4 Rd8 27.Bc2 g6 28.Bb3 Qd6 29.Qc6 Qb8 30.Qa4 Qb6 31.Kg2 Kg7 32.Qc4 Bf6 33.Re3 Rb8 34.Bc2 Qd8 35.h4 h5 36.Rf3 Rb6 37.Be4 Qe7 38.Bd3 Rb2 39.Qc6 Be5 40.Qc4 Qd6 41.Re3 Qb6 42.Re2 Bd4 43.Bc2 Bf6 44.Qe4 Rb4 45.Qf3 Qc5 46.Re4 Rb6 47.Re2 Rd6 48.Be4 Bd4 49.Qd3 Rb6 50.Qf3 Rf6 51.Qd3 Bxf2 52.Bf3 Bd4 53.Qe4 Ra6 54.Rc2 Bf6 55.Qe1 Ra4 56.Qf2 Qd6 57.Qe1 Rb4 58.Qc1 Qb6 59.Rf2 Rb1 60.Qf4 Qxf2+ 61.Kxf2 c2 0-1
Hovhannisyan, R (2642)-Pashikian, A (2606) [C67]
Yerevan (10.4) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0 9.Nc3 Ne8 10.Nd5 Bd6 11.Re1 c6 12.Ne3 Be7 13.c4 Nc7 14.Nf5 Bf6 15.Nd6 Bd4 16.Qg4 Qf6 17.Qg3 Bxf2+ 18.Qxf2 Qxd6 19.c5 Qg6 20.a4 d6 21.Ra3 dxc5 22.d4 Re8 23.Bf4 Rxe1 24.Qxe1 Ne6 25.Rg3 Qh5 26.d5 cxd5 27.Rg5 Qh6 28.Rxd5 Qxf4 29.Rd8+ Nf8 30.Qe7 h5 31.Rxf8+ Kh7 32.Bd3+ Bf5 33.Bxf5+ Qxf5 34.Rxa8 Qb1+ 35.Kf2 Qxb2+ 36.Qe2 Qd4+ 37.Kf1 Qa1+ 38.Qe1 Qxa4 39.Re8 f5 40.Re5 Qf4+ 41.Kg1 c4 42.Qe3 Qg4 43.h3 Qd1+ 44.Kh2 Qd6 45.Qf4 c3 46.Qxf5+ g6 47.Qe6 Qxe6 48.Rxe6 b5 49.Re7+ Kh6 50.Rxa7 b4 51.Rc7 1-0
Martirosyan, HM (2622)-Andriasian, Z (2606) [D19]
Yerevan (10.6) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.a4 Bf5 6.e3 e6 7.Bxc4 Bb4 8.0-0 0-0 9.Qe2 Nbd7 10.e4 Bg6 11.Bd3 Re8 12.e5 Bxd3 13.Qxd3 Nd5 14.Nxd5 cxd5 15.Qb5 Be7 16.Bd2 Rb8 17.Rfc1 a6 18.Qd3 Nf8 19.a5 Qd7 20.Rc3 b6 21.Rb3 bxa5 22.Rxa5 Rxb3 23.Qxb3 Qc6 24.Qa4 Qxa4 25.Rxa4 Rb8 26.Bc3 Rb6 27.Ne1 Nd7 28.Nd3 f6 29.exf6 gxf6 30.g4 Kf7 31.f4 Bd6 32.Kf2 Kg6 33.Kf3 h5 34.f5+ exf5 35.gxh5+ Kxh5 36.Ra5 Bxh2 37.Rxd5 Nf8 38.Rxf5+ Kg6 39.Ra5 Ne6 40.Ke4 Nc7 41.Nc5 Bd6 42.Ra1 Bxc5 43.dxc5 Rc6 44.Kd4 Kf7 45.Kc4 Ne6 46.Bb4 Ke7 47.Rh1 Nc7 48.Ba5 Ke6 49.Rh4 Nb5 50.Re4+ Kd7 51.Kd5 Rc8 52.Rh4 Nc7+ 53.Bxc7 Kxc7 54.Rh7+ Kb8 55.c6 Rg8 56.Kc5 Rg4 57.b4 Rg5+ 58.Kd6 Rg8 59.b5 axb5 60.Kc5 Ka8 61.Kb6 Rb8+ 62.Ka6 Rc8 63.Ra7+ Kb8 64.Rb7+ Ka8 65.c7 1-0
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qc5!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…axb5 2.Qa7#; 1…Ka4 2.Qb4#; 1…Rxa3 2.b6#; 1…Rb4/xb5 2.B(x)b4#./PN
