GM Hovhannes Gabuzyan split the point with second seed GM Samvel Ter-Sahakyan in Round 6 but kept his half-point lead at the 81st Armenian Championship Highest League in Yerevan as play resumed after a day-long break.
Gabuzyan used the Bird’s Opening to initiate a heated tactical battle with Ter-Sahakyan who managed to keep the position equal up to the 67th move when the draw was agreed upon. GM Arman Pashikian kept solo second after a short grandmasters draw with GM Levon Babujian. The winners of the round were GMs Robert Hovhannisyan, Shant Sargsyan, and Zaven Andriasian who respectively defeated GM Haik Martirosyan, IM Mamikon Gharibyan, and GM Tigran Petrosian in very interesting board battles. The match between GMs Manuel Petrosyan and Tigran Harutyunian was a well-fought draw.
The standings after Round 6: 1. Gabuzyan, 5; 2. Pashikian, 4½; 3-7. Hovhannisyan, Sargsyan, Ter-Sahakyan, Harutyunian, Petrosyan, 3½; 8-9. Andriasian, Martirosyan, 2½; 10. Gharibyan, 2; 11. Petrosian, 1½; 12. Babujian, ½.
Sargsyan, S (2596)-Gharibyan, M (2423) [C78]
Yerevan (6.1) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Bc5 6.c3 0-0 7.d4 Ba7 8.Re1 b5 9.Bc2 d6 10.h3 h6 11.Be3 Re8 12.Nbd2 Bb7 13.a3 Bb6 14.b4 Rb8 15.Nf1 d5 16.dxe5 Nxe4 17.Qd3 Bxe3 18.Rxe3 g6 19.Rd1 Qe7 20.Bb3 Rbd8 21.Ng3 Ng5 22.Nxg5 hxg5 23.e6 f5 24.Nxf5 gxf5 25.Qxf5 Qg7 26.Rxd5 Ne7 27.Qf7+ Kh8 28.Rd7 Bc6 29.Rxc7 Rc8 30.Ra7 Ra8 31.Rxa8 Rxa8 32.Qh5+ Qh7 33.Qxg5 Rg8 34.Qf6+ Qg7 35.Qh4+ Qh7 36.Qxh7+ Kxh7 37.f3 Kg6 38.Kf2 Kf6 39.Rd3 Ke5 40.c4 bxc4 41.Bxc4 Bb5 42.Re3+ Kf6 43.Bb3 Nf5 44.Re4 Rc8 45.e7 Rc3 46.Re6+ Kg5 47.Re5 Rxb3 48.Rxb5 Rb2+ 49.Ke1 Rb1+ 50.Kd2 Rb2+ 51.Kd3 Rb3+ 52.Kc4 Re3 53.Ra5 Kf4 54.Rxa6 Nxe7 55.b5 Re2 56.Ra7 Nf5 57.g4 Nd6+ 58.Kc5 Rd2 59.b6 Ke5 60.Re7+ Kf6 61.b7 1-0
Hovhannisyan, R (2642)-Martirosyan, HM (2622) [C78]
81st ARM-ch 2021 Yerevan (6.2), 22.02.2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.a5 Ba7 11.Be3 Bg4 12.Nbd2 0-0 13.h3 Bh5 14.Qe1 Re8 15.dxe5 dxe5 16.Nh4 Qd3 17.Bxa7 Nxa7 18.f3 c5 19.Qf2 Qd6 20.Rfd1 Qc7 21.Bd5 c4 22.Nf1 Bg6 23.b4 cxb3 24.Bxb3 Nc8 25.Qa2 Qc5+ 26.Kh2 Rb7 27.Rd3 Nd6 28.Ne3 Rc7 29.Nd5 Nxd5 30.Rxd5 Qc6 31.Rad1 Nb7 32.c4 Rf8 33.cxb5 axb5 34.a6 Nc5 35.a7 Na4 36.Bxa4 bxa4 37.Rd8 Rc8 38.Rxc8 Rxc8 39.Qd5 Qe8 40.Qd7 f6 41.Nxg6 1-0
Gabuzyan, H (2557)-Ter-Sahakyan, S (2640) [A03]
Yerevan (6.4) 2021
1.f4 d5 2.g3 h5 3.Nf3 h4 4.Bg2 h3 5.Bf1 g6 6.d3 Bg7 7.Nbd2 Nc6 8.c3 Nf6 9.Ng5 a5 10.Ndf3 a4 11.Ne5 Nxe5 12.fxe5 Ng4 13.e6 fxe6 14.Bxh3 e5 15.e4 Nf6 16.Bxc8 Qxc8 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Qf3 Nf6 19.0-0 0-0 20.Qe2 Ra5 21.Bd2 Qg4 22.Qxg4 Nxg4 23.Rxf8+ Bxf8 24.c4 Ra6 25.Ne4 Nf6 26.Nf2 e4 27.dxe4 e5 28.Be3 Kf7 29.Kf1 Ke6 30.Ke2 Be7 31.Rc1 Ra8 32.c5 c6 33.Rc4 Nd7 34.h4 Bf8 35.g4 Be7 36.g5 Rh8 37.Nd3 Rxh4 38.Rxa4 Rh2+ 39.Kf3 Rh3+ 40.Kf2 Bxg5 41.Bxg5 Rxd3 42.Be3 Nf6 43.Ke2 Rd7 44.Rb4 Nh5 45.a4 Rf7 46.a5 Nf4+ 47.Kd2 Rc7 48.Rb6 Kd7 49.b4 g5 50.Ke1 Ng2+ 51.Kf2 Nxe3 52.Kxe3 Kd8 53.a6 bxa6 54.Rb8+ Ke7 55.Kf3 a5 56.Kg4 axb4 57.Kf5 g4 58.Rxb4 Kf8 59.Rb8+ Kg7 60.Kxg4 Rf7 61.Rc8 Rf4+ 62.Kg5 Kf7 63.Rxc6 Ke7 64.Rh6 Rxe4 65.Kf5 Re1 66.Rh7+ Kd8 67.c6 ½-½
Petrosyan, M (2628)-Harutyunian, TK (2549) [D85]
Yerevan (6.5) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 Bg7 6.e4 Nb6 7.Be3 0-0 8.a4 a5 9.h3 Nc6 10.Nf3 Nb4 11.Be2 Be6 12.0-0 Bc4 13.b3 Ba6 14.Rc1 Nd7 15.Bc4 Bxc4 16.bxc4 e5 17.d5 Qe7 18.c5 Nxc5 19.Bxc5 Qxc5 20.Nb5 Qb6 21.Rxc7 Rac8 22.d6 Rcd8 23.Qd2 Na6 24.Rc4 Rfe8 25.Rd1 Bf8 26.Qd5 Re6 27.Ng5 Rf6 28.Rd2 h6 29.Qxe5 Bxd6 30.Nxd6 Rfxd6 31.Rxd6 Qxd6 32.Nf3 Qxe5 33.Nxe5 Kg7 34.f4 Rd1+ 35.Kf2 Rb1 36.Nd3 b5 37.axb5 Rxb5 38.Ke3 Rb3 39.Kd2 Nb4 40.Nxb4 axb4 41.Ke2 ½-½
Petrosian, TL (2601)-Andriasian, Z (2606) [A06]
Yerevan (6.6) 2021
1.Nf3 d5 2.e3 Nf6 3.c4 g6 4.b3 Bg7 5.Bb2 dxc4 6.Bxc4 c5 7.0-0 0-0 8.Nc3 Nc6 9.Rc1 b6 10.h3 Bb7 11.Qe2 a6 12.Rfd1 b5 13.Bd3 Qb6 14.Qf1 Rfd8 15.Be2 Rac8 16.Nb1 Nb4 17.Nc3 Ne4 18.Ra1 Qe6 19.d4 Nc2 20.Rac1 Ng3 21.fxg3 Nxe3 22.Qf2 cxd4 23.Nb1 Nxd1 24.Bxd1 Qf5 25.Rxc8 Rxc8 26.Nbd2 e5 27.g4 Qf4 28.Nf1 Rd8 29.Ng3 Qe3 30.Ne2 Bxf3 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qb3!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Sg5+ 2.Sxg5#; 1…Rxd3 2.Sd4#; 1…Bxd3 2.Rxf5#./PN
