Levon Aronian wins Satty Zhuldyz Rapid and Blitz 2023, Arjun Ergaisi second
Arjun Erigaisi faltered on the second day of Blitz. He started with a draw against Haik Martirosyan, suffered three consecutive losses between Round 19 and 21, including a loss against the eventual champion Levon Aronian. The only two-time FIDE World Cup winner in history, won the Satty Zhuldyz Rapid and Blitz 2023 with one round to spare. Even a last round loss against the World Blitz 2022 Bronze medalist, Haik Martirosyan, did not deter his championship hopes. Aronian won the tournament scoring 23/33, Arjun Erigaisi finished second 21.5/33 and Haik finished third 21/33. Blitz did not go well for Arjun, however, one must not forget his excellent performance in the Rapid event. Photo: Aditya Sur Roy
Haik Martirosyan beats Aronian and tops the Blitz
The next best thing to winning the tournament is considered to be, beating the champion of the tournament. Arjun could not do it, Haik managed to do that. In fact, the Armenia no.2 is the sole player to remain undefeated against Levon Aronian in both Rapid and Blitz events. Aronian managed to beat the remaining ten players at least once in either Rapid or the Blitz event. That is certainly a unique feat achieved by Haik.
As we mentioned in our previous report, the key game for Arjun to win the tournament was the first game of the day against the Armenia no.2, GM Haik Martirosyan. The game ended in a draw.
Levon Aronian won the tournament with a round to spare. Thus, a last round against a former compatriot, Haik Martirosyan, did not deter his championship chances. He has never lost against Aronian in rated games.
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Replay Blitz Round 12-22 games
Blitz Round 22 results
| Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | |||
| 1 | 12 | 2508 | GM | Lagno, Kateryna | ½ - ½ | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | 2737 | 6 | |
| 2 | 5 | 2809 | GM | Aronian, Levon | 0 - 1 | GM | Martirosyan, Haik M. | 2770 | 7 | |
| 3 | 4 | 2712 | GM | Kramnik, Vladimir | 1 - 0 | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | 2591 | 8 | |
| 4 | 3 | 2651 | GM | Keymer, Vincent | 1 - 0 | GM | Hou, Yifan | 2601 | 9 | |
| 5 | 2 | 2601 | GM | Gelfand, Boris | ½ - ½ | GM | Grischuk, Alexander | 2727 | 10 | |
| 6 | 1 | 2440 | IM | Assaubayeva, Bibisara | ½ - ½ | GM | Vakhidov, Jakhongir | 2568 | 11 |
Blitz standings after Round 22
| Rk. | SNo | Name | FED | Rtg | Pts. | TB1 | TB2 | TB3 | |
| 1 | 7 | GM | Martirosyan, Haik M. | ARM | 2770 | 15,5 | 0 | 165,50 | 12 |
| 2 | 5 | GM | Aronian, Levon | USA | 2809 | 15 | 0 | 150,00 | 11 |
| 3 | 3 | GM | Keymer, Vincent | GER | 2651 | 13 | 1 | 139,00 | 10 |
| 4 | 10 | GM | Grischuk, Alexander | RUS | 2727 | 13 | 1 | 129,75 | 8 |
| 5 | 6 | GM | Erigaisi, Arjun | IND | 2737 | 12 | 0 | 116,75 | 9 |
| 6 | 4 | GM | Kramnik, Vladimir | RUS | 2712 | 11,5 | 0 | 113,75 | 9 |
| 7 | 8 | GM | Sindarov, Javokhir | UZB | 2591 | 10,5 | 0 | 106,25 | 8 |
| 8 | 11 | GM | Vakhidov, Jakhongir | UZB | 2568 | 10 | 1,5 | 106,50 | 6 |
| 9 | 2 | GM | Gelfand, Boris | ISR | 2601 | 10 | 0,5 | 105,25 | 2 |
| 10 | 12 | GM | Lagno, Kateryna | RUS | 2508 | 8 | 1 | 82,00 | 3 |
| 11 | 9 | GM | Hou, Yifan | CHN | 2601 | 8 | 1 | 76,75 | 5 |
| 12 | 1 | IM | Assaubayeva, Bibisara | KAZ | 2440 | 5,5 | 0 | 64,50 | 2 |
Links
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Satty Zhuldyz Rapid and Blitz 2023: Arjun Ergaisi increases his sole lead
@ 25/04/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
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Satty Zhuldyz 2023: Arjun Erigaisi Roars in Rapid, now World no.24
@ 23/04/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
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Satty Zhuldyz Rapid R5-8: Arjun Erigaisi is on a roll, now World no.25
@ 22/04/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
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Satty Zhuldyz Rapid R1-4: Arjun Erigaisi makes a fantastic start
@ 21/04/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |
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Arjun Erigaisi set to battle Kramnik, Grischuk, Aronian, Gelfand, Yifan and co. at Satty Zhuldyz Rapid and Blitz
@ 20/04/2023 by Shahid Ahmed (en) |