Tigran Petrosian leads in Lake Sevan

by ChessBase
7/25/2011 – No, not Tigran Vartanovich, but the 26-year-old Armenian GM whose first name was deliberately chosen by his father to match that of the former world champion. Petrosian has 2.5/4, the same as two other GMs who are playing in the strong tournament on the banks of the beautiful lake. IM Ashot Nadanian sent us this big illustrated report with some remarkably instructive annotations.

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Lake Sevan 2011

Report by IM Ashot Nadanian

On the sunny shores of Lake Sevan, in the rustic town of Martuni, Armenia, the already-traditional Category 16 “Lake Sevan 2011” tournament has begun. This year's edition boasts ten strong grandmasters: Baadur Jobava (2713, Georgia), Sergei Zhigalko (2689, Belarus), Ildar Khairullin (2649, Russia), Zhou Jianchao (2636, China), as well as the Armenian GMs Tigran L. Petrosian (2636), Arman Pashikian (2616), Zaven Andriasian (2616), Avetik Grigoryan (2608), Hrant Melkumyan (2600) and Samvel Ter-Sahakyan (2558).


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Standings after four rounds

SNo.
Name
Rtg
FED
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Pts
Rank
1
Grigoryan Avetik
2608
ARM
*
½
½
1
½
2
2
Zigalko Sergei
2689
BLR
½
*
½
½
8
3
Khairullin Ildar
2649
RUS
½
*
½
½
6
4
Pashikian Arman
2616
ARM
0
*
½
0
1
9
5
Zhou Jianchao
2636
CHN
*
½
0
1
½
2
4
6
Ter-Sahakyan Samvel
2558
ARM
½
*
½
0
½
7
7
Petrosian Tigran L.
2636
ARM
½
1
½
*
½
1
8
Melkumyan Hrant
2600
ARM
½
1
0
1
*
3
9
Jobava Baadur
2713
GEO
½
½
0
½
*
10
10
Andriasian Zaven
2616
ARM
½
½
½
½
*
2
5

Annotated games

Picture gallery


One of the main organizers of the tournament GM Smbat Lputian

 
Singing girls at the opening ceremony


Elo favourite GM Baadur Jobava in an optimistic mood


Chief arbiter Ashot Vardapetyan with his son Levon and a local journalist


GM Zaven Andriasian


GM Zhou Jianchao


GM Samvel Ter Sahakyan


GM Sergei Zhigalko

 
GM Tigran L. Petrosian


GM Avetik Grigoryan


GM Ildar Khairullin


GM Hrant Melkumyan


Participants at the opening ceremony


The beautiful Lake Sevan, which gave the tournament its name

Photos by Gevorg Asatryan


Your reporter, IM Ashot Nadanian

IM Ashot Nadanian is a professional chess player and coach, currently rated 2436. His best single event was the Moscow Aeroflot Open 2002, where his performance against 2628-rated opposition was 2636. Ashot was born on September 19, 1972 in Baku, his parents, Sergei and Irina, are both hairdressers. He has played chess since the age of seven and twice won the Azerbaijan Youth Championship (1986 and 1987). In 1988, when the Nagorno-Karabakh War began, his family moved to Armenia. There he became an International Master (1997) and fulfilled two grandmaster norms (2002 and 2004). He was the Kuwait National Team coach from 1999-2001 and Singapore National Team coach between 2005-2010. In January 2011 he became the second of Levon Aronian and moved back to Armenia. Ashot is best known for his contribution to opening theory, with two variations named after him: the Nadanian Variation in the Grünfeld Defence (1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Na4) and the Nadanian Attack in the Queen's Pawn Opening (1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 h6 3.c4 g5).


Links

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