Arjun Erigaisi dominates Stepan Avagyan Memorial

The young Indian grandmasters keep making headlines with their successes, though they take turns doing so. Praggnanandhaa caused a storm in his home country when he finished second in the last World Cup to qualify for the Candidates' Tournament, in which two other Indians, Vidit and Gukesh, also took part. Gukesh won the Candidates and now will play reigning World Champion Ding Liren for the title. And Gukesh has good chances in this match as the defending champion is currently far from his best. And now Arjun Erigaisi is racing up the Elo list.

After a fine performance at the French Team Championship in Chartres, where he played for Philidor Metz, Erigaisi also impressed at the Stepan Avagyan Memorial in Jermuk, Armenia. Erigaisi started the tournament in Jermuk as the world's number 4 in live rankings, behind Carlsen, Nakamura and Caruana, but continued to gain rating points.

Erigaisi started in Jermuk with wins against the two Armenians Robert Hovhannisyan and Shant Sarsyan. This was followed by three draws in rounds three to five and then another victory, against German Grandmaster Matthias Blübaum. Erigaisi seems to be familiar with the classics, as he improved a game from the 1986 world championship match between Garry Kasparov and Anatoly Karpov.

Erigaisi Arjun2761

1–0

Bluebaum, Matthias2647

5th Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2024 Jermuk15.06.2024[Schulz,A]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nc3 Bb4 6.Bf4 0-0 7.e3 c5 8.Bd3 Nc6 9.0-0 Bg4 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 d4 13.Ne4 Be7 14.Rad1

14...Qa5 Though the move-order was different, Erigaisi and Bluebaum reached a position that occurred in a game between Kasparov and Karpov in their World Championship match from 1986. But Erigaisi now improves Kasparov's play. 15.a3 15.Ng3 dxe3 16.fxe3 Qxa2 17.Nf5 Qe6 18.Bh6 Ne8 19.Qh5 g6 20.Qg4 Ne5 21.Qg3 Bf6 22.Bb5 Ng7 23.Bxg7 Bxg7 24.Rd6 Qb3 25.Nxg7 Qxb5 26.Nf5 Rad8 27.Rf6 Rd2 28.Qg5 Qxb2 29.Kh1 Kh8 30.Nd4 Rxd4 31.Qxe5 1-0 Kasparov,G (2740)-Karpov,A (2705) World-ch32-KK3 Kasparov-Karpov +5-4=15 London/Leningrad 1986 (8) 15...Rad8 15...dxe3 16.fxe3 Rad8 17.Bg3 17.Bg3 Nxe4 17...Ne5 18.Nxf6+ Bxf6 19.Qf5 18.Qxe4 g6 19.Bc4± 15...Nd5 16.Bc4 Nxf4 17.exf4± 16.exd4 Qb6 16...Nxd4 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.Qxb7± 16...Rxd4 17.Be3 Rdd8 18.b4 with the idea Qxa3 19.Nxf6+ Bxf6 20.Bd4 Rxd4 21.Bxh7++- 17.Nxf6+ Bxf6 18.d5 Nd4 19.Qe4 g6 20.Rfe1 20.b4?? Rfe8 wins the queen. 20...Nf5

21.Rd2 White consolidated and keeps the extra-pawn. Rd7 22.Qc4 Nd6 22...Qd4 23.Qxd4 Nxd4 24.Bc4+- 23.Qa4 Qd8 23...Rfd8 24.Be3 Qc7 25.Rc2 Qb8 26.Bxa7 Qa8 27.Qf4+- 24.Qxa7 Nc8 25.Qe3 Nb6 26.Qf3 Bg5 27.Be4 27.Bb5!? Bxf4 28.Qxf4 Rxd5 28...Rd6 29.Red1 Rxd2 30.Rxd2 Qb8 31.Qxb8 Rxb8 32.a4+- 27...Re8 28.Red1 Nc4 29.Re2 Bxf4 30.Qxf4 Qb6 31.Rde1 Qd4 31...Nxb2 32.Qg4 Rdd8 33.Bxg6+- 32.Qh6 Re5 32...Rf8!? 33.b3 Rh5 33...Nxa3 34.Bxg6+- 34.Qc1 Ne5 35.b4 Qb6

36.Rc2 Many ways lead to Rome, e.g. 36.g4!? Rxh3 37.Bg2 Rf3 38.Qb2 f6 39.Rxe5 fxe5 40.Bxf3+- 36...Kg7 37.Rc8 Qd4 38.Qc5 Qb2 39.Qf8+ Kf6 40.Qh8+ Kg5 41.f4+ Kxf4 42.Qf6+ Rf5 43.Qh4+ 1–0

After a draw in the seventh round, Erigaisi defeated the young Russian Volodar Murzin in the penultimate round. The game was calm and balanced for a long time, but Murzin collapsed in the endgame.

Erigaisi Arjun2761

1–0

Murzin, Volodar2650

5th Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2024 Jermuk17.06.2024[Schulz,A]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.a4 0-0 6.0-0 Re8 6...d6 7.Bxc6 bxc6 8.h3 h6 9.Nc3 Re8 10.Be3 Bb4 11.Ne2 d5 12.Ng3 a5 13.Bd2 dxe4 14.dxe4 Qe7 15.Re1 Rb8 16.Qc1 Rd8 17.b3 Bxd2 18.Nxd2 Be6 19.Nf3 Nd7 20.Qb2 f6 21.Rad1 Qb4 22.Qc1 c5 23.Nh4 c4 24.Ngf5 Nf8 25.Re3 Kh7 26.Rg3 g5 27.Nf3 Ng6 28.h4 Nf4 29.Re1 Bxf5 30.exf5 Qc5 31.hxg5 hxg5 32.bxc4 Qxc4 33.Qe3 Qxc2 34.Kh2 Qxf5 35.Qc5 Rh8 36.Kg1 Rb1 37.Qxa5 Ne2+ 38.Kh2 Kg6+ 39.Rh3 Rxh3+ 40.gxh3 Qxf3 0-1 Nihal,S (2694)-Robson, R (2699) AI Cup Play In Chess.com INT rapid 2023 (3) 6...d5 7.exd5 Qxd5 8.Nc3 Qd6 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.Bg5 Bg4 11.h3 Bxf3 12.Qxf3 Bd4 13.Bxf6 Qxf6 14.Qxf6 gxf6 15.Nd1 Rfd8 16.Rb1 Rab8 17.b3 f5 18.Ne3 f4 19.Nf5 Rd7 20.Rbe1 f6 21.g3 fxg3 22.Nxg3 Kf7 23.Kh2 Rg8 24.f4 exf4 25.Rxf4 Bc5 26.Ref1 Bd6 27.Rxf6+ Ke8 28.Re6+ Kd8 29.Rf3 Rdg7 30.Ree3 h5 31.h4 Rg4 32.Kh3 Bf4 33.Nxh5 Rg1 34.Ng3 Bxe3 35.Rxe3 Rc1 36.Re2 Rg1 37.Re3 Rc1 38.Re2 ½-½ Erigaisi,A (2712)-Narayanan,S (2651) Qatar Masters op Doha 2023 (4) 7.Nc3 Nd4 8.Nxd4 Bxd4 9.Ne2 c6 10.Nxd4 exd4 After 10...cxb5?? 11.Nxb5 White is a pawn up. 11.Bc4 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Qf3 Be6

14.Bd2 Nc7 Exchanging one bishop to take the bishops pair from White. 15.Bxe6 Rxe6 16.Rfe1 Qd5 17.Qxd5 Nxd5 18.Rxe6 fxe6 Thanks to his better structure White might have a microscopic edge in this endgame. 19.a5 c5 20.Kf1 Rc8 21.Ke2 Kf7 21...c4? 22.dxc4 Rxc4 23.Kd3 loses a pawn. 22.c4 dxc3 22...Ne7!? 23.b4 cxb4 24.Bxb4 Nc6= 23.bxc3 c4 24.Ra4 cxd3+ 25.Kxd3 Rd8 26.Kc2 a6

The endgame is equal. 27.Rh4 h6 27...Nf6!? 28.c4 Ne7 29.Rf4+ Kg8 30.Rg4 Kf7 30...h5!? 31.Rg5 Rf8 32.f3 Rf5 31.Bc3 Nf5 32.Rf4 Kg8 32...g5!? 33.h4?! 33.Rf3!? Rc8 34.Rd3 Rxc4 34...Rc7 35.Kb3 h5 36.f4 Kh7 37.Be5 Rf7 38.Kb4+- 35.Rd7 Rf4 36.f3 White is more active and will win the queenside pawns. 33...h5 34.g3 Rd7 35.Re4 Kf7

Black is still okay here. 36.Re5 Rc7 37.Kb3 Ke7 38.Re1 Kf7 39.Re5 Ke7 40.Kb4 Kd6 40...Kf7 41.Rc5 Rd7 42.Rc8 Ne7= 41.Re1 Threatening Be5+. Rc8 42.Be5+ Kd7 43.Rb1 White gradually made progress and now eyes Black's weak pawn on b7. Rf8 44.Ka4 Or 44.Kc5 Rc8+ 45.Kb6 Rxc4 46.Kxb7 Rc5 47.Rd1+ Ke7 48.Bc7+- 44...Kc6 45.Rb6+ Kc5 46.Rxb7 46.Kb3 Nd4+ 47.Bxd4+ Kxd4 48.f4+- 46...Kxc4 Black has no serious threats, but a very weak a-pawn. 47.Ra7 Kd5 48.Bb2 Rb8 49.Ba3 Rc8 50.Rxa6 Rc4+ 51.Bb4 Rc2 52.Rb6 Nd4 53.a6 Ra2+ 54.Ba3 Nc2 55.Rb3 Nxa3 56.Rxa3 Rxf2 57.a7 Rf8 58.Kb5 Ra8 59.Kb6 e5 60.Kb7 Rf8 61.a8Q Rxa8 62.Rxa8 e4 63.Ra5+ 1–0

In the final round of the Stepan Avagyan Memorial 2024, all games ended in draws, and there were no more changes in the table. Behind Erigaisi, Samuel Sevian, M. Amin Tabatabaei and Bogdan-Daniel Deac took the places.

Final standings

Games

Links

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