UNDERDOG GM Vasif Durarbayli crowned himself the 75th Azerbaijan National Champion after beating the highly-favored GM Nijat Abasov in their final match, 4-2, at Nakhchivan City in Azerbaijan on May 18.
The 29-year old Durarbayli proved to be too tough a nut to crack for the 26-year old Abasov, who is his country’s number three player. The top two players of Azerbaijan – Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Teimour Radjabov – did not participate, as did number three (rated and ranked equal with Abasov) Gadir Guseinov.
Durarbayli and Abasov started the finals by drawing the first two regulation games before Abasov drew first blood by winning the first game of the tiebreak match. Durarbayli leveled the count, however, before finally turning on the after burners and winning the second tiebreak match to clinch the championship.
The battle for the 3rd place was won rather handily by GM Nidjay Mamedov who defeated GM Eltaj Safarli.
Durarbayli, V (2606)-Abasov, N (2665) [B40]
Nakhchivan (2.3) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.Bg2 Bg4 7.c3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Bb4+ 9.Nc3 Nge7 10.0-0 0-0 11.h3 Bh5 12.Ne2 Bg6 13.Qb3 Be4 14.Bg5 h6 15.Bxe7 Qxe7 16.a3 Ba5 17.Nf4 Rad8 18.Rad1 Rfe8 19.Nh2 Bb6 20.Qc3 Rc8 21.Nxd5 Bxd5 22.Bxd5 Nxd4 23.Qd3 Rcd8 24.Qc4 Rc8 25.Qa2 Rc2 26.Kg2 Qd7 27.Nf3 Nf5 28.Rd3 Ree2 29.Be4 Rxf2+ 0-1
Abasov, N (2665)-Durarbayli, V (2606) [B06]
Nakhchivan (2.4) 2021
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nf3 d6 4.Be2 a6 5.c4 Nd7 6.Nc3 e6 7.0-0 Ne7 8.Re1 b6 9.Bf1 Bb7 10.Be3 h6 11.Qc2 g5 12.h3 Ng6 13.Rad1 Qe7 14.g3 f5 15.Bc1 0-0 16.exf5 Bxf3 17.Rxe6 Bxd1 18.Nxd1 Qf7 19.Rxg6 Qxf5 20.Bd3 Qxh3 21.Ne3 Nf6 22.Bf1 Qd7 23.Nf5 Ne8 24.Nxg7 Nxg7 25.Rxh6 Nf5 26.Rg6+ Kh8 27.Bxg5 Kh7 28.Rh6+ Kg7 29.Bh3 Rae8 30.Kg2 d5 31.c5 bxc5 32.Bf4 Qf7 33.Rc6 Nxd4 34.Qc3 Kg8 35.Rxc7 Qg6 36.Be3 Qe4+ 37.Kh2 Nf3+ 38.Kh1 Qb1+ 39.Bc1 Re1+ 40.Bf1 Rxf1+ 41.Kg2 Rg1+ 42.Kh3 Qf5+ 0-1
Durarbayli, V (2606)-Abasov, N (2665) [B40]
Nakhchivan (2.5) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.g3 d5 4.exd5 exd5 5.d4 Nc6 6.Bg2 Bg4 7.h3 Bxf3 8.Qxf3 cxd4 9.Qxd5 Qxd5 10.Bxd5 Nf6 11.Bxc6+ bxc6 12.Ke2 c5 13.Na3 Kd7 14.Kd3 Re8 15.Bf4 Ne4 16.Rhf1 g5 17.Bd2 Kc6 18.Nc4 Nxd2 19.Nxd2 Bd6 20.Rae1 f5 21.g4 fxg4 22.hxg4 Rxe1 23.Rxe1 h5 24.gxh5 Rxh5 25.Kc4 g4 26.Re6 Kd7 27.Rg6 Re5 28.Rg7+ Kc6 29.Rxg4 Re2 30.Kd3 Re6 31.Ne4 Rh6 32.Kc4 Re6 33.f3 Be7 34.Kd3 Kd5 35.c4+ dxc3 36.Nxc3+ Kc6 37.Ne4 Re5 38.Rg6+ Kc7 39.Kc4 Rf5 40.Rg3 Kc6 41.Rh3 Kc7 42.Kb5 Re5 43.b3 Kb7 44.Rh7 a6+ 45.Kc4 Kc6 46.Rf7 Bd8 47.Ra7 Bb6 48.Rf7 Bd8 49.Kd3 Rd5+ 50.Ke3 Rd1 51.Rh7 Bb6 52.Rh6+ Kc7 53.Nc3 Rd8 54.Ke4 Re8+ 55.Kd3 Rd8+ 56.Ke2 Ba5 57.Ne4 Bb6 58.Nc3 Rd4 59.Na4 Ba7 60.Rxa6 Kb7 61.Rh6 c4 62.Rh7+ Ka6 63.Rh6+ Kb7 64.Rh1 cxb3 65.axb3 Rb4 66.Rb1 Bd4 67.Kd3 Bf6 68.Nc5+ Kc6 69.Ne4 Be5 70.Nd2 Rd4+ 71.Ke3 Rh4 72.Rc1+ Kd5 73.Rc4 Rh3 1-0
Abasov, N (2665)-Durarbayli, V(2606) [B22]
Nakhchivan (2.6) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.d4 e6 6.Be2 Be7 7.0-0 cxd4 8.cxd4 0-0 9.Nc3 Qd6 10.Nb5 Qb6 11.Ne5 Nc6 12.a4 a6 13.Nxc6 bxc6 14.a5 Qb8 15.Na3 c5 16.Nc4 Rd8 17.Nb6 Rxd4 18.Qc2 Ra7 19.Be3 Rd8 20.Bxc5 Bxc5 21.Qxc5 Rc7 22.Qe5 Bb7 23.Rfd1 Nd5 24.Bf3 Rc2 25.Qxb8 Rxb8 26.b4 g6 27.Bxd5 Bxd5 28.Rac1 Rb2 29.Rd4 Bc6 30.h4 Bb5 31.Rc7 e5 32.Rd6 Rb1+ 33.Kh2 Rxb4 34.Kg3 Rd4 35.Rf6 Rf8 36.f4 Rxf4 37.Rxf4 exf4+ 38.Kxf4 Rd8 39.Ke5 Rd2 40.Nd5 Kg7 41.g4 h6 42.Nf4 Rd7 43.Rc8 Re7+ 44.Kd5 Rd7+ 45.Kc5 Re7 46.Kd4 Re1 47.Nd5 Rg1 48.Ne3 Ra1 49.g5 hxg5 50.hxg5 Ra4+ 51.Ke5 Rxa5 52.Kd6 Bd3 53.Nd5 Bf5 54.Rb8 Be6 55.Nf6 Rxg5 56.Ke7 Rb5 57.Rg8+ Kh6 58.Ne4 Kh5 59.Nd6 Rd5 60.Ne8 Kg5 61.Nf6 Rb5 62.Nh7+ Kf4 63.Rd8 a5 64.Rd4+ Ke3 65.Rh4 Rb4 0-1
Mamedov, N (2609)-Safarli, E (2598) [B50]
Nakhchivan (2.4) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.c3 Nf6 4.h3 g6 5.Bd3 Nc6 6.0-0 Bg7 7.Bc2 e5 8.d4 exd4 9.cxd4 0-0 10.d5 Nb4 11.Nc3 Nxc2 12.Qxc2 Nh5 13.Re1 Re8 14.Bg5 f6 15.Bd2 f5 16.Qb3 fxe4 17.Nxe4 Bf5 18.Neg5 Qd7 19.g4 Bxg4 20.hxg4 Qxg4+ 21.Kh1 c4 22.Rxe8+ Rxe8 23.Qxb7 Rf8 24.Rg1 Qf5 25.Be3 h6 26.Nh4 Qd3 27.Ne6 Qe4+ 28.Ng2 Rf3 29.Re1 Rh3+ 30.Kg1 Qf5 31.Nxg7 Qg4 1-0
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qd1!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Ne8/g8/d7/h7/h5/e4/g4 2.Rxd5#; 1…Nf4, Kd4 2.Qa1#; 1…Nc3 2.f4#; 1…Be2/f1/c2/b1/c4/b5/a6/e4/f5/g6/h7 2.d4#./PN
