Smbat Lputian of Armenia won the Yerevan Zonal with 7.0/9. Previous leader Rafael Vaganian lost in the final round, finishing in a tie for third. Artashes Minasian captured second.
The top 4 players qualify for the world championships in India/Iran later this year:
Lputian
Minasian
Vaganian
Asrian
In the final round, Lputian disposed of Kacheishvili in 29 moves with his 3...Be7 in the French Tarrasch. Minasian pounded Ilincic from the white side of a Sicilian in only 26 moves. Gelashvili beat Vaganian from the black side of an English opening in 55 moves.
Lputian won while Vaganian drew, leaving both of them tied for the lead with 6 points after Round 8 of the Latvia zonal, which ends June 16.
Vaganian-Nikolaidis ended peacefully after only 10 moves, as neither had any stomach for a fight. Lputian-Ilincic went to a rook-and-pawn endgame after a Trompowsky opening with Lputian 2 pawns to the good. Ilincic gave it up after 54 moves.
Vaganian maintained a half-point lead as 3 rivals moved closer: Lputian, Minasian, and Asrian all won in Round 7.
Ilincic played a Catalan setup against Vaganian, and the queens were excused by move 12. After numerous exchanges, Ilincic emerged up a pawn, but Vaganian kept the initiative and a draw was agreed after 48 moves.
Lputian played the French, won the exchange, and nursed it home in 59 moves. Minasian won an ending with Kacheishvili where he had a bishop for 3 pawns. Asrian beat Gelashvili's Pirc in 51 moves.
Vaganian maintained his lead, but there is now a 7-way tie for second after 6 rounds of the Yerevan zonal, which runs from June 7 to 16.
Vaganian-Minasian was a 10-move draw. Gelashvili-Kacheishvili decided 6 moves was enough for one day. Asrian-Kotronias was a Sicilian Richter-Rauser that was just getting interesting when they called it quits after 24 moves. Lputian won with the Trompowsky in 41 moves. Ilincic beat Izoria's QGA in 31 moves.
Rafael Vaganian defeated co-leader Giorgi Kacheishvili to take a one-point lead after 5 rounds of the Yerevan zonal.
Vaganian played 3...c5 in the French Tarrasch and outlasted Kacheishvili to win in 65 moves. Minasian-Asrian was a Caro-Kann Advance drawn in 40 moves. Kotronias destroyed Ilincic's Poison-Pawn Sicilian in only 28 moves.
Third-round leader Kacheishvili drew while Vaganian won, putting them in a tie for the lead with 3.5/4.
Queen-pawn openings with g3 are all the rage at the zonals. Vaganian played a g3 King's Indian against Kotronias, applied some queenside pressure, and after 33 moves won a pawn for his efforts. It was all he needed as Kotronias resigned the hopeless rook-and-pawn ending in 38 moves.
Kacheishvili played the increasingly popular 3...Be7 in the French Tarrasch, but he drew with Asrian after a mere 14 moves.
Minasian ground out a win against Jobava in 55 moves with a couple extra pawns in the double rook-and-pawn ending. Ilincic doggedly kept his b-pawn defended against Nikolaidis' furious Benko Gambit assault and pulled out the win in the rook-and-pawn ending with a couple pawns to the good.
Giorgi Kacheishvili of Georgia has taken the early lead with 3-0. Right behind with 2.5 are Vaganian, Asrian, and Katronias.
Kacheishvili had little trouble disposing of Ilincic, one of the round 2 leaders. With his Catalan setup, he quickly won material on the queenside, consolidated, and collected the point in 32 moves.
Vaganian's extra passed a-pawn won the day against Aronian. Minasian-Kotronias was a quick little 14-move olive branch. Like Vaganian, Asrian also won his game with an extra passed a-pawn.
The FIDE Zonal 1.5 runs from June 7 to 16 in Yerevan, Armenia. After 2 rounds, 3 players lead with 2-0: Ilincic, Kacheishvili, and Katronis. Among the favorites are top-rated Rafael Vaganian, Smbat Lputian, and Artashes Minasian.
Standings After Round 2:
Ilincic, Zlatko g YUG 2554 2.0
Kacheishvili, Giorgi g GEO 2564 2.0
Kotronias, Vasilios g CYP 2539 2.0
Vaganian, Rafael A g ARM 2618 1.5
Asrian, Karen g ARM 2572 1.5
Lputian, Smbat G g ARM 2605 1.5
Aronian, Levon m ARM 2587 1.5
Minasian, Artashes g ARM 2598 1.5
Nikolaidis, Ioannis g GRE 2530 1.5
Halkias, Stelios m GRE 2482 1.0
Nalbandian, Tigran m ARM 2448 1.0
Izoria, Zviad GEO 2372 1.0
Gelashvili, Tamaz g GEO 2514 1.0
Sturua, Zurab g GEO 2595 1.0
Anastasian, Ashot g ARM 2606 1.0
Banikas, Hristos m GRE 2535 1.0
Jobava, Baadur GEO 2430 1.0
Seitaj, Ilir m ALB 2392 1.0
Tosic, Miroslav g YUG 2503 1.0
Yegiazarian, Arsen m ARM 2513 1.0
Bagaturov, Giorgi g GEO 2501 0.5
Dervishi, Erald g ALB 2478 0.5
Ivanisevic, Ivan m YUG 2460 0.5
Sendur, Adnan f TUR 2335 0.5
Gurcan, Selim TUR 2307 0.5
Khachian, Melikset m ARM 2462 0.5
Antic, Dejan m YUG 2491 0.5
Karkanaque, Ilir f ALB 2389 0.5
Atakisi, Umut TUR 2274 0.0
Erdogan, Hakan TUR 2316 0.0
