Etienne Bacrot wins Aeroflot Open 2009

26.2.2009 - Things didn't look that good for France's top GM, until victories in the last two rounds put him at the top of the table and gave him first place on tiebreak points. Second, with the same number of points (6.5/9) was Alexander Moiseenko of Ukraine. We bring you all results and games from the top group, plus, from wintry Moscow, a big photo report by WGM Yana Melnikova.

Aeroflot Open 2009

The Aeroflot Open took place from February 17th to 25th February, 2009, in Moscow. Top French GM Etienne Bacrot won his last two games to clinch victory. He beat Arman Pashikian in the final round to finish 6.5/9, the same as Alexander Moiseenko. Since Bacrot had played more games with the black pieces he was the tiebreak winner.

The winner of Aeroflot 2009: Etienne Bacrot from France

Final standings (after nine rounds)

#	Player	Pts	FED	Rtng	Perf.	w-We
1	GM Bacrot, Etienne	6.5	FRA	2722	2775	+0.62
2	GM Moiseenko, Alexander	6.5	UKR	2676	2770	+1.11
3	GM Zhou, Jianchao	6.0	CHN	2612	2753	+1.71
4	GM Predojevic, Borki	6.0	BIH	2650	2706	+0.64
5	GM Zhigalko, Sergei	6.0	BLR	2587	2765	+2.15
6	GM Kurnosov, Igor	6.0	RUS	2602	2758	+1.89
7	GM Potkin, Vladimir	6.0	RUS	2613	2748	+1.61
8	GM Tomashevsky, Evgeny	6.0	RUS	2664	2743	+0.92
9	GM Pashikian, Arman	6.0	ARM	2621	2729	+1.29
10	IM Yudin, Sergei	5.5	RUS	2562	2706	+1.78
11	GM Zhou, Weiqi	5.5	CHN	2542	2714	+2.15
12	GM Filippov, Anton	5.5	UZB	2556	2711	+1.94
13	IM Kosintseva, Tatiana	5.5	RUS	2497	2702	+2.52
14	GM Sargissian, Gabriel	5.5	ARM	2677	2685	+0.10
15	GM Vitiugov, Nikita	5.5	RUS	2687	2672	-0.18
16	GM Zvjaginsev, Vadim	5.5	RUS	2636	2665	+0.36
17	GM Aleksandrov, Aleksej	5.5	BLR	2636	2644	+0.10
18	GM Riazantsev, Alexander	5.5	RUS	2634	2636	+0.03
19	GM Khairullin, Ildar	5.0	RUS	2574	2671	+1.17
20	GM Andriasian, Zaven	5.0	ARM	2564	2689	+1.51
21	GM Kotsur, Pavel	5.0	KAZ	2563	2676	+1.37
22	GM Ajrapetjan, Yuriy	5.0	UKR	2490	2642	+1.84
23	GM Dreev, Alexey	5.0	RUS	2688	2607	-1.01
24	GM Amonatov, Farrukh	5.0	TJK	2647	2613	-0.44
25	GM Smirin, Ilia	5.0	ISR	2647	2602	-0.56
26	GM Nepomniachtchi, Ian	5.0	RUS	2628	2595	-0.44
27	GM Huzman, Alexander	5.0	ISR	2602	2582	-0.26
28	GM Zhigalko, Andrey	5.0	BLR	2572	2695	+1.48
29	GM Dyachkov, Sergej	5.0	RUS	2553	2674	+1.46
30	GM Wen, Yang	5.0	CHN	2504	2656	+1.83
31	GM Grachev, Boris	5.0	RUS	2655	2658	+0.01
32	GM Ehlvest, Jaan	5.0	USA	2595	2637	+0.51
33	GM Naiditsch, Arkadij	5.0	GER	2693	2645	-0.61
34	GM Kazhgaleyev, Murtas	5.0	KAZ	2630	2617	-0.18
35	GM Mamedov, Rauf	5.0	AZE	2638	2604	-0.44
36	GM Landa, Konstantin	5.0	RUS	2626	2611	-0.23
37	GM So, Wesley	5.0	PHI	2627	2577	-0.65
38	GM Grigoriants, Sergey	4.5	RUS	2565	2647	+1.03
39	GM Safarli, Eltaj	4.5	AZE	2564	2636	+0.90
40	GM Onischuk, Alexander	4.5	USA	2659	2580	-0.98
41	GM Romanov, Evgeny	4.5	RUS	2576	2621	+0.56
42	GM Melkumyan, Hrant	4.5	ARM	2519	2618	+1.22
43	GM Bareev, Evgeny	4.5	RUS	2645	2567	-0.95
44	GM Van Wely, Loek	4.5	NED	2625	2496	-1.43
45	GM Sjugirov, Sanan	4.0	RUS	2562	2572	+0.15
46	GM Maslak, Konstantin	4.0	RUS	2541	2572	+0.42
47	GM Shomoev, Anton	4.0	RUS	2567	2562	-0.04
48	GM Vazquez Igarza, Renier	4.0	ESP	2558	2547	-0.09
49	IM Chadaev, Nikolai	4.0	RUS	2568	2546	-0.25
50	GM Akobian, Varuzhan	4.0	USA	2619	2528	-1.11
51	GM Bocharov, Dmitry	4.0	RUS	2647	2490	-1.87
52	GM Minasian, Artashes	4.0	ARM	2557	2592	+0.46
53	IM Ponkratov, Pavel	4.0	RUS	2557	2586	+0.39
54	GM Lysyj, Igor	4.0	RUS	2620	2546	-0.90
55	GM Rodshtein, Maxim	4.0	ISR	2650	2524	-1.53
56	GM Li, Chao b	4.0	CHN	2628	2515	-1.37
57	GM Maze, Sebastien	4.0	FRA	2578	2516	-0.73
58	GM Petrosian, Tigran L.	4.0	ARM	2623	2507	-1.40
59	GM Mamedyarov, Shakhriyar	4.0	AZE	2724	2735	+0.07
60	GM Li, Shilong	3.5	CHN	2559	2519	-0.50
61	IM Robson, Ray	3.5	USA	2455	2516	+0.69
62	GM Smirnov, Pavel	3.5	RUS	2579	2558	-0.27
63	GM Dziuba, Marcin	3.5	POL	2556	2528	-0.35
64	GM Vaganian, Rafael A	3.5	ARM	2596	2497	-1.23
65	GM Ghaem Maghami, Ehsan	3.5	IRI	2604	2495	-1.36
66	GM Bartel, Mateusz	3.5	POL	2594	2485	-1.35
67	GM Gajewski, Grzegorz	3.5	POL	2581	2423	-1.70
68	GM Zherebukh, Yaroslav	3.0	UKR	2558	2479	-0.94
69	GM Ragger, Markus	3.0	AUT	2540	2467	-0.85
70	WGM Shen, Yang	3.0	CHN	2448	2464	+0.20
71	GM Grigoryan, Avetik	3.0	ARM	2506	2384	-1.23
72	IM Kosintseva, Nadezhda	3.0	RUS	2486	2472	-0.16
73	GM Milov, Vadim	3.0	SUI	2669	2467	-2.25
74	IM Ipatov, Alexander	2.5	ESP	2493	2400	-1.10
75	GM Volkov, Sergey	2.5	RUS	2627	2399	-2.46
76	IM Salem, A.R. Saleh	2.0	UAE	2473	2220	-2.24
77	GM Chuprov, Dmitry	1.5	RUS	2571	2419	-1.02
78	GM Kotanjian, Tigran	0.5	ARM	2568	2240	-1.53

Photo gallery from Moscow

By WGM Yana Melnikova

Moscow in the winter

The location of the Aeroflot Open 2009, the tourist and hotel complex "Izmailovo"

Inside the building a banner for the tournament

The action in the main playing hall

Second after Bacrot on tiebreak points: GM Alexander Moiseenko

Third (on tiebreak): Zhou, Jianchao from China, rated 2612

9th: GM Arman Pashikian, ARM, 2621, lost to Bacrot in the final round

Another Chinese GM: Zhou Weiqi, who finished eleventh

Seventh: GM Vladimir Potkin, RUS, rated 2613

Both sides now: GM Alexander Riazantsev, RUS, 2634, 18th

31st: GM Boris Grachev, RUS, 2655

32nd: GM Jaan Ehlvest, USA, 2595

Disappointed: GM Rauf Mamedov, AZE, 2638 came 35th

WGM Batkhuyag Munguntuul of Mongolia, rated 2425, in the A2 group

FM Ju Wenjun, rated 2392, who played in the A2 tournament

About the author

WGM Yana Melnikova, Russia, is:

a graduate of the N. Bauman Moscow State Technical University, management faculty;
an organizers of chess events for the Moscow Chess Federation;
a member of German chess club Bad Konigshofen;
a Woman Grandmaster since 2005.

Aeroflot Open 2009 – photographic impressions

24.2.2009 - What was missing from our reports on the Aeroflot Open? Why pictures, visual impressions of the action. Not a single one was on the official site, and so it was a pleasant surprise when a colleague sent us a very nice bunch from Moscow. The include some critical shots of the contentious game Mamedyarov-Kurnosov from round six. From Moscow here is Misha Savinov's big pictorial report.

Kurnosov leads at Aeroflot Open 2009

20.2.2009 - In recent years, the Aeroflot Open in Moscow (February 17–26) has become established as the world's strongest open tournament. The top section is limited to players rated 2550 or over – and has 76 participants of whom only seven are not GMs. The prize fund is 70,000 Euros, with 21,000 going to the winner. After three rounds Igor Kurnosov leads with 3.0 points. Games and results.

Etienne Bacrot wins Aeroflot Open 2009

Aeroflot Open 2009

Final standings (after nine rounds)

Photo gallery from Moscow

By WGM Yana Melnikova

Links

See also

Aeroflot Open 2009 – photographic impressions

Aeroflot Open 2009 – photographic impressions

Kurnosov leads at Aeroflot Open 2009

Kurnosov leads at Aeroflot Open 2009

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