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PETROSIAN DASHES NIGALIDZE'S HOPES
Gulf News, UAE
Dec 26 2014
Armenian defeats leader to move to joint lead with Onischuk
Al Ain: GM Tigran L. Petrosian of Armenia beat erstwhile sole leader
Gaioz Nigalidze of Georgia in the penultimate round to force a two-way
tie for the lead with Vladimir Onischuk of Ukraine in the Al Ain
Classic Chess Championship at the Hili Reyhaan Rotana hotel in Al Ain.
Petrosian, 30, used the English Opening and gained the advantage of
Bishop for Knight in the endgame. The Armenian was threatening to
Queen a passed pawn when Nigalidze resigned in a marathon 91 moves
after five and a half hours of play.
The win gave Petrosian 6.5 points in a tie with Onischuk. The two
leaders face each other in the decisive final round for the top prize
of $11,000 (Dh40,000) in a total of $50,000. Onischuk crushed the
French Defense of Russian Sergey Volkov. After gaining two pieces for
a Rook, the Ukrainian advanced his centre pawns and weaved a mating
net to force Volkov to resign on the 37th move.
Nigalidze dropped to a share of third to 10th slots at 6 points each
together with 19-year-old Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and Sandipan Chanda,
both of India, Sergei Zhigalko of Belarus, Mikheil Mchedlishvili of
Georgia and Ukrainians Yuriy Kryvoruchko, Mikhailo Oleksienko and
Alexander Areshchenko.
Gujrathi, who hails from Nasik in the western Indian state of
Maharashtra, smashed the French Defense of compatriot Deep Sengupta
in 63 moves. Sandipan needed only 31 moves to crush the Nimzo-Indian
Defense of Prasanna Vishnu of India. It was a bad day for other Indian
players as Areshchenko beat Sahaj Grover of India in 55 moves of a Ruy
Lopez game and Mchedlishvili used the English Opening to outplay G.N.
Gopal of India in 45 moves. Oleksienko used the Dutch Defense to beat
Levon Babujan of Armenia in 52 moves. The game between Kryvoruchko
and Zhigalko was a draw in 43 moves of a Closed Ruy Lopez game.
Fourteen players follow with 5.5 points each in the race for cash
prizes for the first 20 places. In 11th to 24th slots are Volkov,
Armenians Hovik Hayrapetyan, Arman Pashikian and Samuel Ter-Sahakyan,
Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan, Vadim Malakhatko of Belgium, Luka
Paichadze of Georgia, Sahaj Grover and Abhijeet Gupta of India,
Atousa Pourkashiyan of Iran, Mahmood Lodhi of Pakistan, Mircea Emilian
Parligras of Romania, Yuriy Kyuzubov and Samuel Shankland of the USA.
http://gulfnews.com/sport/other-sports/petrosian-dashes-nigalidze-s-hopes-1.1432324
Gulf News, UAE
Dec 26 2014
Armenian defeats leader to move to joint lead with Onischuk
Al Ain: GM Tigran L. Petrosian of Armenia beat erstwhile sole leader
Gaioz Nigalidze of Georgia in the penultimate round to force a two-way
tie for the lead with Vladimir Onischuk of Ukraine in the Al Ain
Classic Chess Championship at the Hili Reyhaan Rotana hotel in Al Ain.
Petrosian, 30, used the English Opening and gained the advantage of
Bishop for Knight in the endgame. The Armenian was threatening to
Queen a passed pawn when Nigalidze resigned in a marathon 91 moves
after five and a half hours of play.
The win gave Petrosian 6.5 points in a tie with Onischuk. The two
leaders face each other in the decisive final round for the top prize
of $11,000 (Dh40,000) in a total of $50,000. Onischuk crushed the
French Defense of Russian Sergey Volkov. After gaining two pieces for
a Rook, the Ukrainian advanced his centre pawns and weaved a mating
net to force Volkov to resign on the 37th move.
Nigalidze dropped to a share of third to 10th slots at 6 points each
together with 19-year-old Vidit Santosh Gujrathi and Sandipan Chanda,
both of India, Sergei Zhigalko of Belarus, Mikheil Mchedlishvili of
Georgia and Ukrainians Yuriy Kryvoruchko, Mikhailo Oleksienko and
Alexander Areshchenko.
Gujrathi, who hails from Nasik in the western Indian state of
Maharashtra, smashed the French Defense of compatriot Deep Sengupta
in 63 moves. Sandipan needed only 31 moves to crush the Nimzo-Indian
Defense of Prasanna Vishnu of India. It was a bad day for other Indian
players as Areshchenko beat Sahaj Grover of India in 55 moves of a Ruy
Lopez game and Mchedlishvili used the English Opening to outplay G.N.
Gopal of India in 45 moves. Oleksienko used the Dutch Defense to beat
Levon Babujan of Armenia in 52 moves. The game between Kryvoruchko
and Zhigalko was a draw in 43 moves of a Closed Ruy Lopez game.
Fourteen players follow with 5.5 points each in the race for cash
prizes for the first 20 places. In 11th to 24th slots are Volkov,
Armenians Hovik Hayrapetyan, Arman Pashikian and Samuel Ter-Sahakyan,
Nijat Abasov of Azerbaijan, Vadim Malakhatko of Belgium, Luka
Paichadze of Georgia, Sahaj Grover and Abhijeet Gupta of India,
Atousa Pourkashiyan of Iran, Mahmood Lodhi of Pakistan, Mircea Emilian
Parligras of Romania, Yuriy Kyuzubov and Samuel Shankland of the USA.
http://gulfnews.com/sport/other-sports/petrosian-dashes-nigalidze-s-hopes-1.1432324