Stepan Avagyan Memorial International RR 17 Category Tournament ։ Round 1

Round 1: Erigaisi Starts and Wins!

The Stepan Avagyan Memorial has always been distinguished by the full commitment of the players and substantive struggle in all games without exception. The start of the 6th tournament was no exception: exactly half of the games ended decisively – with victories achieved by Erigaisi and Deac!

However, the round was incomplete. Two participants – the tournament’s second seed, Tabatabaei, and the strongest Armenian player, Martirosyan, didn’t manage to arrive in time for the start of the first round, causing their game to begin with a significant delay. The tired Amin and Hayk quickly agreed to a draw.

The first game to end in a draw was Sevian vs. Sargsyan. Last year's winner couldn't gain an advantage with the white pieces and, without much deliberation, went for mass exchanges and a draw. Samuel had a reason to hurry: he was soon to face the 1/8 finals in the World Bullet Championship against the Peruvian Jospem, who had just defeated Kramnik in a match.

The game that gathered the most viewers was the one played by the Indian guest, the 4th seed Erigaisi. His opponent was the persistent Hovhannisyan, but his resistance lasted only for the first 20 moves. Having obtained a comfortable position out of the opening and even an opportunity to attack the king, Robert suddenly started to lose ground. Soon, the game was heading towards only two possible outcomes – whether Arjun would clinch the win or not. He did. He deprived the black pieces of any activity, occupied all the dominant squares, and delivered the final blow. None of his opponent's tricks affected him.

Deac's victory over Murzin seemed simple and easy: the black pieces surrendered as early as the 21st move. The quick defeat was caused by their unsuccessful choice on the 8th move – instead of the active bishop to d3, they opted for the passive knight to b3, fell behind in development, and castled into an attack. Their final delay – 16...Rc6? – completed the chain of unsuccessful decisions. However, precise calculation was required from the white pieces, and Bogdan-Daniel delivered it promptly.

Bluebaum was close to winning after skillfully outplaying Petrosyan. However, the tenacious opponent managed to hold the tough endgame during Matthias’s time trouble, eventually saving half a point.

Stepan Avagyan Memorial. Round 1. Erigaisi – Hovhannisyan – 1-0, Deac – Murzin – 1-0, Sevian – Sargsyan, Bluebaum – Petrosyan, Tabatabaei – Martirosyan – draws. Standings after Round 1. 1-2. Erigaisi, Deac – 1; 3-8. Sargsyan, Petrosyan, Martirosyan, Sevian, Bluebaum, Tabatabaei – 0.5; 9-10. Hovhannisyan, Murzin – 0.