IN THE ABSENCE of the top two players, the 75th Azerbaijan National Chess Championship will be disputed by that country’s number three player GM Nijat Abasov and number nine player GM Vasif Durarbayli.
The event started as a 12-player, single round robin qualifier to determine the top four finishers who dispute the title. The starting players were Abasov (2665), GM Nidjat Mamedov 2609), Durarbayli (2606), GM Eltaj Safarli (2598), GM Vugar Asadli (2572), GM Misratdin Iskandarov (2535), IM Aydin Suleymanli (2535), GM Farid Abbasov (2528), IM Abdulla Gadimbayli (2470), IM Mahammad Muradli (2449), GM Urfan Sevdimaliyev (2371), and IM Kanan Garayev (2331). The qualifier was topped by Durarbayli, with Abasov and Safarli tying for 2nd to 3rd, and Mamedov taking the fourth qualifying slot via a better tiebreak score over Asadli.
The four qualifiers then went through a knockout phase with a best-of-three match. Abasov eliminated Safarli, while Durarbayli took out Mamedov with both matches ending 2½-½ in favor of the winners. Abasov and Durarbayli are now playing a championship match as we write this.
Azerbaijan’s top two players, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Teimour Radjabov did not participate, as did number three (rated and ranked equal with Abasov) Gadir Guseinov, number five Rauf Mamedov and number six Arkadij Naiditsch. I can only guess the prize fund was not impressive.
With many national championships going on in the world, I wonder when will the Philippines conduct its own – and report it, too?
Mamedov, N (2609)-Durarbayli, V (2606) [B50]
Nakhchivan (1.1) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.h3 Nbd7 5.Bd3 b6 6.0-0 Bb7 7.Re1 Qc7 8.Bc2 Rc8 9.a4 g6 10.Na3 Bg7 11.d4 cxd4 12.cxd4 0-0 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bd2 a6 15.Rc1 Qb8 16.Bd3 e6 17.Rxc8 Rxc8 18.Qe2 Qa8 19.Nb1 Nb8 20.Bf4 Rd8 21.Nc3 Nc6 22.Bb1 Ne7 23.Qc2 Bc6 24.Qb3 g5 25.Be3 b5 26.axb5 axb5 27.Nd2 Qb7 28.Qb4 Ng6 29.Nb3 Qd7 30.Na5 Ba8 31.Bd3 Rb8 32.f3 Nf4 33.Bf1 Ne8 34.Nb3 Bf8 35.Ra1 Qc8 36.Ra7 d5 37.Nc5 dxe4 38.fxe4 Nf6 39.Qa5 b4 40.Nb5 Bxe4 41.Rc7 Qd8 42.Nxe4 Nxe4 43.Bxf4 gxf4 44.Qa7 Ra8 45.Qb7 Ng3 46.Rxf7 Ra1 47.Re7 0-1
Durarbayli, V (2606)-Mamedov, N (2609) [B06]
Nakhchivan (1.2) 2021
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 a6 5.g4 b5 6.Bg2 Bb7 7.h4 b4 8.Nce2 Nf6 9.g5 Nfd7 10.h5 Nb6 11.h6 Bf8 12.d5 e5 13.dxe6 fxe6 14.Qd4 e5 15.Qxb4 d5 16.Qb3 d4 17.Bd2 N8d7 18.Qe6+ Qe7 19.Qxe7+ Bxe7 20.b3 Nc5 21.f3 d3 22.cxd3 Nxd3+ 23.Kf1 0-0 24.Rh4 Rad8 25.Nh3 Bc5 26.a3 Rf7 27.Ra2 Rfd7 28.b4 Be7 29.Rc2 c5 30.Be3 Na4 31.Nf2 cxb4 32.Bh3 bxa3 33.Bxd7 Rxd7 34.Rh1 Nb4 35.Rc1 a5 36.Kg2 Ba6 37.Nc3 Nb2 38.Nd5 Nxd5 39.exd5 Nc4 40.Rc3 Rxd5 41.Ne4 Rb5 42.Kg3 Nxe3 43.Rxe3 a2 44.Ra1 Rb2 45.Rc3 Kf8 46.Nf6 Bxf6 47.gxf6 g5 48.Kg4 Bb7 49.Kf5 Bd5 50.Rc8+ Kf7 51.Rc7+ Kf8 52.Rxh7 1-0
Abasov, N (2665)-Safarli, E (2598) [C43]
Nakhchivan (1.3) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.d4 Nxe4 4.Bd3 d5 5.Nxe5 Nd7 6.0-0 Bd6 7.c4 0-0 8.cxd5 Nef6 9.Nxd7 Bxd7 10.Nc3 h6 11.h3 Re8 12.Qf3 a6 13.Bf4 b5 14.a3 Bxf4 15.Qxf4 c6 16.dxc6 Bxc6 17.Rfe1 Qd7 18.Rad1 Rxe1+ 19.Rxe1 Rd8 20.Rd1 Qb7 21.Bf1 Nd5 22.Nxd5 Rxd5 23.Re1 Rg5 24.Re5 Rxe5 25.Qxe5 Qd7 26.Bd3 g6 27.Be4 Bxe4 28.Qxe4 Kh7 29.Qe5 Qc6 30.d5 Qc1+ 31.Kh2 Qd2 32.f4 h5 33.h4 Qf2 34.Kh3 Qd2 35.d6 Qd3+ 36.Kh2 Qd2 37.f5 a5 38.fxg6+ fxg6 39.Qe7+ Kg8 40.Qe6+ Kg7 41.d7 Qf4+ 42.Kh3 Qf8 43.Qe5+ Kh7 44.Qd5 Qd8 45.Qe6 Qf8 46.Qd5 Qd8 47.Qf7+ Kh6 48.Qe8 Qf6 49.d8Q Qf5+ 50.Kg3 Qg4+ 51.Kf2 Qf4+ 52.Ke2 1-0
Safarli, E (2598)-Abasov, N (2665) [B45]
Nakhchivan (1.4) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nf6 6.g3 Bb4 7.Bg2 0-0 8.0-0 d6 9.Ncb5 e5 10.Nf5 Bxf5 11.exf5 a6 12.Nc3 Bxc3 13.bxc3 h6 14.Rb1 Qd7 15.g4 e4 16.h4 Rfe8 17.g5 hxg5 18.hxg5 Nh7 19.g6 Nf6 20.Bg5 Qxf5 21.gxf7+ Kxf7 22.Bh4 Re7 23.Qxd6 g5 24.Bg3 Rd8 25.Qa3 Ne5 26.Qb3+ Kg6 27.Bxe5 Qxe5 28.Rfe1 Rd2 29.Qb6 Qf4 30.Rb4 Re6 31.Qc5 Rxc2 32.Rxb7 e3 33.Rf1 exf2+ 34.Rxf2 Re1+ 35.Bf1 Qg3+ 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qh7!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Rxb3/d2/e2/f2/g2/b1+ 2.Q(x)b1#; 1…Rc2 2.Qxc2#; 1…Rh2+ 2.Qxh2#./PN
