When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. That is what GM Hovik Hayrapetyan did as he increased his lead to a full point after a Round 5 victory in the 11th Andranik Margaryan Memorial in Yerevan, Armenia.
While Hayrapetyan was beating IM Mamikon Gharibyan, his closest pursuer and top seed IM Sergei Lobanov was engaged in an epic battle not to lose against WGM Anna Sargsyan. Lobanov finally salvaged a half-point from his game versus the inspired Sargsyan only after an extended struggle that lasted all of 92 moves. The other Round 5 victors are FM Denis Lazavik and IM Bardiya Daneshvar, who defeated FM Armen Barseghyan and GM Arman Mikaelyan, respectively. The win gave the 15-year-old Lazavik a share of second to third places with Lobanov.
Meanwhile, the clash between GM Levon Baujian and IM Rudik Makaryan ended in a draw after another protracted fight that took 71 moves.
Standings after Round 5: 1. Hayrapetyan, 4½; 2-3. Lobanov, Lazavik, 3½; 4. Makaryan, 3; 5-6. Babujian, Daneshvar, 2½; 7-8. Mikaelyan, Sargsyan, 2; 9. Gharibyan, 1; 10. Barseghyan, ½.
Lazavik, D (2436)-Barseghyan, A (2362) [A88]
Yerevan (5.1) 2021
1.d4 f5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.g3 g6 4.Bg2 Bg7 5.0-0 0-0 6.b3 d6 7.Bb2 c6 8.c4 a5 9.Nc3 Na6 10.Re1 Qc7 11.e4 fxe4 12.Nxe4 Nxe4 13.Rxe4 Bf5 14.Re3 Rae8 15.h3 a4 16.g4 Bc8 17.Qe2 e6 18.Re1 Qd8 19.Re4 axb3 20.axb3 b6 21.Bc1 c5 22.d5 e5 23.Nh2 Nc7 24.Nf1 Bf6 25.Bh6 Rf7 26.Qd2 Bh4 27.Be3 h6 28.Ng3 Bg5 29.Bxg5 hxg5 30.R4e2 Na6 31.Ne4 Rf4 32.Ra1 Qe7 33.Ra4 Bb7 34.Re1 Ref8 35.Rea1 Nc7 36.Ra7 Ne8 37.Rf1 R8f7 38.b4 Qd8 39.Rb1 Bc8 40.Ra8 Kg7 41.bxc5 dxc5 42.Qb2 Rxe4 43.Bxe4 Nd6 44.Qxe5+ Kh6 45.Bd3 Re7 46.Qc3 Nf7 47.Re1 Rxe1+ 48.Qxe1 1-0
Sargsyan, A (2402)-Lobanov, S (2510) [D51]
Yerevan (5.3) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 Nbd7 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Rc1 g5 9.Bg3 Ne4 10.Nd2 Nxg3 11.hxg3 c6 12.e3 Nf6 13.Bd3 Kf8 14.a3 Bd6 15.b4 Qe7 16.Nb3 Kg7 17.Qd2 b6 18.0-0 a5 19.bxa5 Bxa3 20.Rc2 c5 21.dxc5 bxc5 22.Bb5 Be6 23.Qe2 Rhb8 24.a6 Ra7 25.Na5 Bd7 26.Nc6 Bxc6 27.Bxc6 d4 28.Nd5 Qd6 29.Nxf6 Kxf6 30.exd4 cxd4 31.Bb7 Kg7 32.Rc6 Qe7 33.Qc4 Rd8 34.Rd1 Qb4 35.Qxb4 Bxb4 36.Rc4 Bf8 37.Rdxd4 Re8 38.Rd7 Re1+ 39.Kh2 Re6 40.Rcc7 Rf6 41.Kg1 Bb4 42.Bc8 Ra8 43.Kf1 Ba5 44.Rc2 Bb6 45.f3 h5 46.Bb7 Ra7 47.Ke2 Bg1 48.Rd5 Kg6 49.Ra2 Re6+ 50.Kd3 Re3+ 51.Kc4 Re7 52.Raa5 f6 53.Rab5 Re6 54.Ra5 Bf2 55.f4 Re4+ 56.Kb5 gxf4 57.gxf4 Rxf4 58.Kc6 h4 59.Kc7 Rb4 60.Kb8 Rb2 61.Rab5 Re2 62.Rd8 Ra2 63.Rg8+ Kh6 64.Bf3 Kh7 65.Rg4 Kh6 66.Rh5+ Kxh5 67.Ra4+ Kg5 68.Rxa2 Bg1 69.Bb7 f5 70.Ra3 Kg4 71.Kc7 f4 72.Rh3 Bf2 73.Kd6 Bg3 74.Ke6 Kg5 75.Rh1 f3 76.gxf3 Kf4 77.Kf6 Bf2 78.Rh3 Bg3 79.Kg6 Bf2 80.Kh5 Bg3 81.Rh1 Bf2 82.Rf1 Bg3 83.Ra1 h3 84.Rh1 h2 85.Kg6 Rxb7 86.axb7 Kxf3 87.Rb1 Kg2 88.Rb2+ Kg1 89.Rb3 Bb8 90.Rb1+ Kg2 91.Rb2+ Kg1 92.Rxh2 Kxh2 ½-½
Hayrapetyan, H (2488)-Gharibyan, M (2432) [E54]
Yerevan (5.4) 2021
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Nf6 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd3 c5 7.0-0 cxd4 8.exd4 dxc4 9.Bxc4 b6 10.Bg5 Bb7 11.Qe2 Nbd7 12.Rac1 Bxc3 13.Rxc3 Qb8 14.Bh4 Qf4 15.Bg3 Qf5 16.Ne5 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Ne4 18.Rh3 Ng5 19.Rh4 Qg6 20.f4 Qe4 21.Qf2 Qc6 22.fxg5 Qxc4 23.Rf4 Rac8 24.Bxg7 Kxg7 25.Rxf7+ Rxf7 26.Qxf7+ Kh8 27.Qf6+ Kg8 28.Qf7+ Kh8 29.Qxb7 Qxd4+ 30.Kh1 Rg8 31.Qe7 Qe5 32.h4 Qg3 33.Qf6+ Rg7 34.Rd1 Qxh4+ 35.Kg1 1-0
Daneshvar, B (2399)-Mikaelyan, A (2485) [E90]
Yerevan (5.5) 2021
1.d4 g6 2.c4 Bg7 3.Nc3 c5 4.d5 d6 5.e4 Nf6 6.Nf3 0-0 7.h3 e5 8.g4 Na6 9.Bd3 Bd7 10.a3 Rb8 11.Qe2 Nc7 12.b4 cxb4 13.axb4 b5 14.Rb1 bxc4 15.Bxc4 a6 16.Be3 h5 17.g5 Nh7 18.Bxa6 Nxa6 19.Qxa6 Qc7 20.Kd2 f5 21.gxf6 Rxf6 22.Ne1 Bc8 23.Qa5 Qc4 24.Nd3 Rf3 25.Qd8+ Nf8 26.Qxd6 Ba6 27.Nb2 Qc8 28.b5 Bh6 29.Nd3 Rxf2+ 30.Nxf2 Bxe3+ 31.Kd3 Rb6 32.Qa3 Bc5 33.Qa2 Rf6 34.Nfd1 Bb7 35.Qg2 Nd7 36.Rf1 Rd6 37.Na4 Qa8 38.Ndc3 Bd4 39.Rb4 Kg7 40.Qg5 Nf6 41.Rxd4 exd4 42.Qe5 Qd8 43.Qxd4 Kh6 44.Kc2 Nxd5 45.exd5 Bxd5 46.Nxd5 Rxd5 47.Qe3+ Kg7 48.Nc3 Rg5 49.b6 Qc8 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Ne6!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Bxd5 2.Sg3#; 1…Kxd3 2.Sc5#1…Sxe6/b3/xe2, Kf5 2.Qxh7#./PN
