2nd Dole Trophy Pasino Grand Aix R5: Pavel Eljanov emerges sole leader as Baadur Jobava loses on time

by Shahid Ahmed - 24/07/2025

GM Pavel Eljanov (UKR) defeated his coleader GM Baadur Jobava (GEO) to move to 5/5 at 2nd Dole Trophy Pasino Grand Aix 2025 Masters. Jobava ran out of time after he missed an opportunity to gain the decisive advantage, positionally he was lost to when he had no time left. GM Bryce Tiglon (USA) and IM Marco Materia (FRA) are the only two players who are at 4.5/5 each. They are followed by 19 players at 4/5 including the top seed, GM Jorden van Foreest. GM Raja Rithvik R is the sole Indian at 4/5. Round 6 starts today at 2:30 p.m. local time, 6 p.m. IST. Photos: Shahid Ahmed

Bryce and Marco in pursuit

GM Pavel Eljanov (UKR) is at a perfect score 5/5

2nd Dole Trophy 2025 is taking place from 19th to 27th July at Pasino Grand in Aix-en-Provence, France

Jobava - Eljanov

Position after 48...Nd7?

48...Nd7? created an opportunity for White 49.Qc6 Nf6 would have given White a decisive advantage. Instead, GM Baadur Jobava (GEO, 2605) opted for 49.Rxd7? Bxd7 50.Qxe5 Bg4 51.Nc3?? Qh1-+ now GM Pavel Eljanov (UKR, 2675) gained the decisive advantage. 52.Qf6 and White ran out of time before he could press the clock.

Final moments: GM Baadur Jobava (GEO) - GM Pavel Eljanov (UKR) | Video: ChessBase India

GM Baadur Jobava (GEO) lost on time against GM Pavel Eljanov (UKR) where he was lost on the board too

Savva - Ortik

Position after 74.Kd5??

According to the computer, GM Savva Vetokhin (2569) blundered 74.Kd5?? GM Ortik Nigmatov (UZB, 2488) found the correct move 74...Qd7+ 75.Ke5 now Black needed to find Kb7. He played the human move Qc7+ 76.Kd5 Qd7+ 77.Ke5 Qc7+ 78.Kd5 and the game ended in a draw via repetition.

Final moments: GM Savva Vetokhin - GM Ortik Nigmatov (UZB) | Video: ChessBase India

GM Ortik Nigmatov (UZB) inferior position really well and at the end needed a computer-like precision to win against GM Savva Vetokhin

Patryk - Yan

Position after 27...Ng2!

Does 27...Nxg2! work? 28.Kxg2 Bxh3+ 29.Kh1 Bxf1? instead 29...Re6 would have been a better continuation for Black to keep the upper hand. The players were not allowed to draw before 30th move even though agreed mutually. As per the tournament rules, players are not allowed before the conclusion of black's 30th move. It was enforced strictly in this game.

IM Patryk Cieslak (POL) averted disaster against GM Yan Liu (CHN)

GM Bryce Tiglon (USA) outplayed IM Carissa Yip (USA) in the rook and bishop endgame

IM Jakub Seemann (POL) held his fellow countrymate GM Jan Malek (POL) to a draw

Leya - Marco

Position after 42...Rd1+

Which is the only safe square for the king? IM Leya Garifullina (2450) could not find it as she played 43.Kc2?? Rxd5! 44.exd5 Bxf5+ 45.Kd1 Bxh3 46.Rxh3 f5 and Black went on to win the game.

IM Marco Materia (FRA) defeated IM Leya Garifullina to move to 4.5/5

GM Aditya S Samant suffered his second consecutive loss, this time against the top seed, GM Jorden van Foreest (NED)

Awonder - Svyatoslav

Position after 45...Rxf4

It is difficult to fathom Black losing the above endgame but it happened. IM Svyatoslav Bazakutsa (UKR, 2474) misplayed and lost against GM Awonder Liang (USA, 2693).

IM Svyatoslav Bazakutsa (UKR) put up a good fight, only in the end he faltered against GM Awonder Liang (USA)

Sweden no.1, GM Nils Grandelius (SWE) trapped GM Abdisalimov Abdimalik's (UZB) queen at the middle of the board

GM Aydin Suleymanli (AZE) scored a crushing victory over IM Eray Kilic (TUR)

IM Miaoyi Lu (CHN) - GM Kacper Piorun (POL): 0.5-0.5

Final moments: GM Iniyan Pa - IM Pham Tran Gia Phuc (VIE) | Video: ChessBase India

The Arbiters' team

Round 4 in progress at Pasino Grand in Aix-en-Provence, France

For more Round 5 photos, please click here.

Replay live stream

Replay Round 5 live commentary by IM Laura Unuk (SLO) and GM Sergei Movsesian (ARM) | Video: Echiquier du Roy René

Replay Round 5 Masters games

Masters Round 5 results

Bo.	No.	White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.	Black	Rtg	No.
1	18	Jobava, Baadur	2605	4	0 - 1	4	Eljanov, Pavel	2675	6
2	26	Vetokhin, Savva	2569	3½	½ - ½	3½	Nigmatov, Ortik	2488	75
3	107	Cieslak, Patryk	2458	3½	½ - ½	3½	Liu, Yan	2536	50
4	51	Tiglon, Bryce	2535	3½	1 - 0	3½	Yip, Carissa	2453	118
5	123	Seemann, Jakub	2451	3½	½ - ½	3½	Malek, Jan	2499	70
6	126	Garifullina, Leya	2450	3½	0 - 1	3½	Materia, Marco	2493	74
7	71	Samant, Aditya S	2499	3	0 - 1	3	Van Foreest, Jorden	2698	2
8	3	Liang, Awonder	2693	3	1 - 0	3	Bazakutsa, Svyatoslav	2474	86
9	7	Grandelius, Nils	2642	3	1 - 0	3	Abdisalimov, Abdimalik	2482	78
10	11	Lagarde, Maxime	2618	3	½ - ½	3	Koelle, Tobias	2466	99
11	15	Suleymanli, Aydin	2607	3	1 - 0	3	Kilic, Eray	2474	87
12	19	Mendonca, Leon Luke	2603	3	½ - ½	3	Celik, Hasan Huseyin	2465	102
13	119	Lu, Miaoyi	2452	3	½ - ½	3	Piorun, Kacper	2575	22
14	23	Jacobson, Brandon	2569	3	1 - 0	3	Saydaliev, Saidakbar	2457	110
15	27	Gorshtein, Ido	2568	3	1 - 0	3	Lamaze, Simon	2458	106

Details

Standings after Round 5

Rk.	SNo	Name	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	6	Eljanov, Pavel	2675	5	11	17,50	3285
2	51	Tiglon, Bryce	2535	4,5	10,5	13,25	2760
3	74	Materia, Marco	2493	4,5	10	12,25	2635
4	18	Jobava, Baadur	2605	4	11,5	12,00	2708
5	107	Cieslak, Patryk	2458	4	11,5	11,00	2687
6	26	Vetokhin, Savva	2569	4	11	12,25	2647
7	70	Malek, Jan	2499	4	11	11,75	2595
8	50	Liu, Yan	2536	4	11	11,25	2641
9	123	Seemann, Jakub	2451	4	11	10,00	2618
10	2	Van Foreest, Jorden	2698	4	10,5	12,25	2664
11	75	Nigmatov, Ortik	2488	4	10,5	12,00	2552
12	54	Costa, Leonardo	2528	4	10,5	11,25	2623
13	15	Suleymanli, Aydin	2607	4	10	10,00	2650
14	23	Jacobson, Brandon	2569	4	9,5	11,25	2654
15	3	Liang, Awonder	2693	4	9,5	10,25	2664

Details

Round 6 pairings

Bo.	No.	White	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.	Black	Rtg	No.
1	6	Eljanov, Pavel	2675	5		4½	Tiglon, Bryce	2535	51
2	74	Materia, Marco	2493	4½		4	Grandelius, Nils	2642	7
3	2	Van Foreest, Jorden	2698	4		4	Peng, Xiongjian	2520	59
4	54	Costa, Leonardo	2528	4		4	Suleymanli, Aydin	2607	15
5	62	Xiao, Tong Qd	2520	4		4	Jobava, Baadur	2605	18
6	63	Parkhov, Yair	2517	4		4	Jacobson, Brandon	2569	23
7	70	Malek, Jan	2499	4		4	Vetokhin, Savva	2569	26
8	75	Nigmatov, Ortik	2488	4		4	Gorshtein, Ido	2568	27
9	35	Raja, Rithvik R	2557	4		4	Cieslak, Patryk	2458	107
10	50	Liu, Yan	2536	4		4	Mardov, Dimitar	2506	67
11	11	Lagarde, Maxime	2618	3½		4	Seemann, Jakub	2451	123
12	118	Yip, Carissa	2453	3½		3½	Mendonca, Leon Luke	2603	19
13	22	Piorun, Kacper	2575	3½		3½	Garifullina, Leya	2450	126
14	30	Ganguly, Surya Shekhar	2566	3½		3½	Lu, Miaoyi	2452	119
15	127	Rakotomaharo, Fy Antenaina	2450	3½		3½	Iniyan, Pa	2558	31

Details

Links

Official site: Dole and Echiquier du Roy

Tournament details

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