Baku Open 2023 R5: Leon bests top seed Hans Niemann

by Shahid Ahmed - 09/05/2023

GM Leon Luke Mendonca continues to lead at Baku Open 2023. He defeated the top seed GM Hans Niemann (USA) to become one of the two leaders with 4.5/5. GM Tornike Sanikidze (GEO) is the other leader. They will inevitably clash in the sixth round. Leon made the most out of his consecutive white pieces. Hans made an incorrect positional decision in an almost equal position and lost control of the game. GM Aditya Mittal defeated the strong GM Anton Korobov (UKR) after the latter blundered in a position which could have been winning for him, had he spotted the correct continuation. IM Prraneeth Vuppala and WGM Divya Deshmukh defeated GM Vugar Asadli (AZE) and GM Timur Gareyev (USA) respectively. Round 6 starts today at 3 p.m. local time, 4:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FA Lana Afandiyeva

Aditya Mittal gets the better of Korobov

GM Raja Rithvik R defended quite well in the rook and knight endgame despite being behind in two pawns. His opponent, GM Sethuraman S P could not overcome the defenses after a lot of tries. The game eventually ended in a draw.

GM Leon Luke Mendonca defeated the top seed GM Hans Niemann | Photo: FA Lana Afandiyeva

Leon - Hans: 1-0

GM Leon Luke Mendonca (2603) got the color break at the right time. He got his second White color in the fifth round against the top seeded, GM Hans Niemann (USA, 2708). Surprisingly this was their first-ever rated game in any format, as per my research. Hans opted for the Modern Benoni. Leon got himself a very pleasant queenless middlegame.

Position after 28.Bc3

Black does not seem to be in any danger as the knight is firmly placed at the center of the board on e5. Now the trouble can only start if the knight goes on a misadventure which is exactly what happened in the game. 28...Nd3 29.Rc2 Nf4 30.Re1 Ra7 31.Nc4 Bf8 32.Kh2 Nxg2 the bishop was harmless for Black. Keeping on the board was better for Black than removing it. 33.Rxg2+ Kh7 34.Rg3 Be7 helped him to form the battery on g-file easily 35.Reg1 Bf8 36.Re1 Be7 37.Kg2 White has all the time in the world to bring the king and protect the e4-pawn before forming the battery again. 37...Raa8 38.Kf2 Rab8 39.Reg1 Bf8 40.Bxf6 Rb7 41.Rg8 and Black resigned.

Aditya Mittal - Korobov

Position after 21.Rd2

21.Rd2? is actually a mistake Bc4 22.Qg3 Bf4 and the result of the game would have been inverse. GM Anton Korobov (UKR, 2664) missed it and blundered 21...Rd8?? 22.Rxd8+ Qxd8 23.fxe6 fxe6 24.Qxd8+ Rxd8 25.Nb1 and White won.

GM Aditya Mittal 4/5 | Photo: FA Lana Afandiyeva

GM Raja Rithvik R defended well against GM Sethuraman S P to draw the game | Photo: FA Lana Afandiyeva

Prraneeth - Asadli

Position after 13...b6

Over a decade and a half ago, Evgeny Sveshnikov played 13...Kf7 which is what the computer also suggests. 13...b6? drops the pawn immediately for tactical reasons 14.Bxb6 Bxb5 15.Qxb5+ Ke7 16.Be3 Qxb5 17.cxb5 White went on to use the extra pawn to his advantage and win the game eventually.

IM Prraneeth Vuppala is rushing towards his GM title | Photo: FA Lana Afandiyeva

GM Harsha Bharathakoti had an exciting draw against IM Read Samadov (AZE) | Photo: FA Lana Afandiyeva

FM Aradhya Garg (pictured) - IM Manish Anto Cristiano F: 1-0 | Photo: Azerbaijan Chess Federation

Gareyev - Divya

Position after 38.a3

GM Timur Gareyev (USA, 2617) made an incorrect decision to move his a-pawn and support the bishop. Instead, 38.Bd2 would have been much safer. The reigning two-time National Women's champion, seized her opportunity, 38.a3? Rcb6 39.Bc2 Nxh4+ 40.gxh4 c5 41.Kg3 cxb4 42.Rxb4 Rxb4 43.axb4 Rxb4 and Black went on to win the game.

WGM Divya Deshmukh bounced back well after suffering a loss in the previous round | Photo: FA Lana Afandiyeva

Replay Round 5 Live Commentary | Video: Azerbaijan Chess Federation

A total of 119 players including 32 GMs, 29 IMs, 11 WGMs and 7 WIMs are taking part from 14 countries across the world in Group A. The nine-day nine-round Swiss League tournament is organized by Azerbaijan Chess Federation and the Ministry of Youth & Sport of the Republic of Azerbaijan from 4th to 12th May 2023 at Baku Crystal Hall in Baku, Azerbaijan. The time control of the tournament is 90 minutes for 40 moves + 30 minutes + 30 seconds per move from the first move.

Replay Round 5 games

Round 5 results

Rd.	Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Name	Rtg	No.
5	1	11	GM	Mendonca Leon Luke	2603	3½	1 - 0	3½	GM	Niemann Hans Moke	2708	1
5	4	23	GM	Aditya Mittal	2522	3	1 - 0	3	GM	Korobov Anton	2664	3
5	6	6	GM	Sethuraman S.P.	2626	3	½ - ½	3	GM	Raja Rithvik R	2476	35
5	9	10	GM	Safarli Eltaj	2609	3	1 - 0	3	IM	Ilamparthi A R	2388	57
5	10	44	IM	Prraneeth Vuppala	2442	3	1 - 0	3	GM	Asadli Vugar	2584	15
5	12	19	GM	Suleymanli Aydin	2560	3	1 - 0	3	GM	Chanda Sandipan	2460	41
5	14	12	GM	Harsha Bharathakoti	2602	2½	½ - ½	2½	IM	Samadov Read	2469	40
5	19	25	IM	Samant Aditya S	2501	2½	½ - ½	2½	IM	Salimova Nurgyul	2391	55
5	22	82	FM	Aradhya Garg	2284	2½	1 - 0	2½	IM	Manish Anto Cristiano F	2485	33
5	24	8	GM	Gareyev Timur	2617	2	0 - 1	2	WGM	Divya Deshmukh	2372	62
5	26	24	GM	Bharath Subramaniyam H	2517	2	1 - 0	2	IM	Garayev Kanan	2346	68
5	29	42	IM	Urazayev Arystanbek	2460	2	1 - 0	2	FM	Mohamed Anees M	2315	75
5	30	86	FM	Bayramov Zaur	2276	2	0 - 1	2	IM	Jubin Jimmy	2455	43
5	31	91	FM	Ayush Sharma	2267	2	0 - 1	2	IM	Nigmatov Ortik	2438	45
5	35	52	IM	Moksh Amit Doshi	2401	2	1 - 0	2	IM	Guliev Logman	2250	99

Details

Standings after Round 5

Rk.	SNo		Name	FED	Rtg	Pts.	TB1	TB2	TB3
1	11	GM	Mendonca, Leon Luke	IND	2603	4,5	2483	0	4
2	36	GM	Sanikidze, Tornike	GEO	2475	4,5	2433	0	4
3	44	IM	Prraneeth, Vuppala	IND	2442	4	2521	0	3
4	18	GM	Pantsulaia, Levan	GEO	2570	4	2485	0	3
5	19	GM	Suleymanli, Aydin	AZE	2560	4	2478	0	3
6	5	GM	Abasov, Nijat	AZE	2634	4	2459	0	3
7	23	GM	Aditya, Mittal	IND	2522	4	2457	0	4
8	10	GM	Safarli, Eltaj	AZE	2609	4	2421	0	3
9	4	GM	Mamedov, Rauf	AZE	2646	4	2392	0	3
10	22	GM	Muradli, Mahammad	AZE	2531	4	2305	0	3
11	1	GM	Niemann, Hans Moke	USA	2708	3,5	2514	0	3
12	38	IM	Nogerbek, Kazybek	KAZ	2474	3,5	2490	0	2
13	2	GM	Predke, Alexandr	SRB	2685	3,5	2484	0	3
14	82	FM	Aradhya, Garg	IND	2284	3,5	2462	0	3
15	6	GM	Sethuraman, S.P.	IND	2626	3,5	2451	0	2

Det ails

Round 6 pairings

Rd.	Bo.	No.		Name	Rtg	Pts.	Result	Pts.		Name	Rtg	No.
6	1	36	GM	Sanikidze Tornike	2475	4½		4½	GM	Mendonca Leon Luke	2603	11
6	4	10	GM	Safarli Eltaj	2609	4		4	GM	Aditya Mittal	2522	23
6	5	18	GM	Pantsulaia Levan	2570	4		4	IM	Prraneeth Vuppala	2442	44
6	7	35	GM	Raja Rithvik R	2476	3½		3½	GM	Predke Alexandr	2685	2
6	8	20	GM	Petrov Nikita	2547	3½		3½	GM	Sethuraman S.P.	2626	6
6	12	17	GM	Iskandarov Misratdin	2577	3½		3½	FM	Aradhya Garg	2284	82
6	14	49	FM	Kilic Eray	2414	3		3	GM	Harsha Bharathakoti	2602	12
6	18	21	GM	Guliyev Namig	2540	3		3	IM	Moksh Amit Doshi	2401	52
6	19	62	WGM	Divya Deshmukh	2372	3		3	GM	Bharath Subramaniyam H	2517	24
6	20	57	IM	Ilamparthi A R	2388	3		3	IM	Samant Aditya S	2501	25
6	26	41	GM	Chanda Sandipan	2460	3		3	WFM	Ismayil Malak	2115	119
6	28	43	IM	Jubin Jimmy	2455	3		3	WFM	Allahverdiyeva Ayan	2055	122
6	29	84	FM	Aliyev Ravan	2280	2½		2½	IM	Manish Anto Cristiano F	2485	33
6	33	104	WGM	Abdulla Khayala	2213	2½		2½	IM	Padmini Rout	2375	60
6	35	107	WGM	Srija Seshadri	2199	2½		2	IM	Abdisalimov Abdimalik	2492	29

Details

Links

Official site

Tournament regulations

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