Total Chess Day 4: Martirosyan Beats Carlsen as Firouzja and Vaishali Hit Back

Alireza Firouzja vs. Andrew Hong

Hong beat Firouzja with White in 52 moves in round 5, out of a Sicilian Defense: Scheveningen Variation, Delayed Keres Attack. Hong held a slight edge until Firouzja's 27...Qf7, after which Hong had a clear advantage. Firouzja made three mistakes to Hong's one and resigned after 52.Qe5+.

Firouzja won the round 6 game with White in 51 moves, so each player took one win from the pairing. The opening was the Ruy Lopez: Open, Classical Defense. Firouzja held a clear advantage from 34...Re8 to the finish, and Hong resigned after 51.gxh5.

Round 5: Hong won with White in 52 moves, by resignation

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Round 6: Firouzja won with White in 51 moves, by resignation

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Nodirbek Abdusattorov vs. Jorden Van Foreest

Van Foreest beat Abdusattorov with White in 56 moves in round 5 and drew round 6, taking 4 points to Abdusattorov's 1. The first game was a Sicilian Defense: Accelerated Dragon, Maróczy Bind. Abdusattorov's 24...Qb5 turned Van Foreest's slight edge into a clear advantage. Abdusattorov made two mistakes to Van Foreest's one and resigned after 56.Qb3+.

The round 6 game, a Bogo-Indian Defense: Grünfeld Variation, was drawn in 49 moves. Abdusattorov had a clear advantage after 21...Rae8, but the game ended level.

Round 5: Van Foreest won with White in 56 moves, by resignation

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Round 6: Drawn in 49 moves

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Levon Aronian vs. Jan-Krzysztof Duda

Aronian and Duda drew both games, and neither player held a clear advantage at any point. The round 5 game went 41 moves from a Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defense, Anti-Berlin Variation, Mortimer Variation. In round 6, a Sicilian Defense: Moscow Variation, Main Line ended in a threefold repetition after 35 moves.

Round 5: Drawn in 41 moves

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Round 6: Drawn in 35 moves, by repetition

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Fabiano Caruana vs. Vincent Keymer

Caruana beat Keymer with Black in 57 moves in round 5 and drew round 6, taking 4 points to Keymer's 1. The first game was a Sicilian Defense: Hyperaccelerated Dragon. Caruana held a clear advantage from 51...a4 to the finish, and Keymer made two mistakes in the game to Caruana's one.

The round 6 game, a Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Short Variation, was drawn in 72 moves. Neither side held a clear advantage at any point.

Round 5: Caruana won with Black in 57 moves

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Round 6: Drawn in 72 moves

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Quang Liem Le vs. Richard Rapport

Le and Rapport drew both games, and Rapport held a clear advantage in each before the position returned to level. In round 5, a Nimzo-Larsen Attack: Classical Variation, Rapport was better after 33...f6, and the game was drawn in 56 moves. Round 6 was a Queen's Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Traditional Variation in which Rapport had a clear advantage after 35.Qg4. That game was drawn after 103 moves.

Round 5: Drawn in 56 moves

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Round 6: Drawn in 103 moves

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Vladislav Artemiev vs. Praggnanandhaa R

Artemiev and Praggnanandhaa drew both games. In round 5, a Ruy Lopez: Closed, Artemiev held a clear advantage after 36.Bg3, but the game ended level after 89 moves. The round 6 game, a Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, ended in a threefold repetition after 19 moves without either side gaining a clear advantage.

Round 5: Drawn in 89 moves

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Round 6: Drawn in 19 moves, by repetition

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Magnus Carlsen vs. Haik M. Martirosyan

Martirosyan beat Carlsen with White in 41 moves in round 5 and drew round 6, taking 4 points to Carlsen's 1. The opening was the Sicilian Defense: Najdorf Variation, Zagreb Variation. Martirosyan held a slight edge until Carlsen's 36...Qb3, which gave Martirosyan a clear advantage and left Carlsen with 46 seconds on the clock. Carlsen made two mistakes, Martirosyan made none, and Carlsen resigned after 41.Qg4+.

The round 6 game, a Nimzo-Indian Defense: Classical Variation, Berlin Variation, was drawn in 33 moves. Neither side held a clear advantage at any point.

Round 5: Martirosyan won with White in 41 moves, by resignation

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Round 6: Drawn in 33 moves

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Anish Giri vs. Ian Nepomniachtchi

Giri drew round 5 and beat Nepomniachtchi in round 6, taking 4 points to Nepomniachtchi's 1. The first game, a Nimzo-Indian Defense: Normal Variation, Gligoric System, Exchange Variation, ended in a threefold repetition after 26 moves. Giri found the Brilliant move 18...Na6!! in that game, though neither side held a clear advantage at any point.

In round 6, Giri won with White in 63 moves from a Queen's Gambit Declined: Harrwitz Attack, Fianchetto Defense. Giri held a slight edge until Nepomniachtchi's 54...Kb6, after which Giri had a clear advantage. Nepomniachtchi made two mistakes, Giri made none, and Nepomniachtchi resigned after 63.Rh8.

Round 5: Drawn in 26 moves, by repetition

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Round 6: Giri won with White in 63 moves, by resignation

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Shakhriyar Mamedyarov vs. Abhimanyu Mishra

Mamedyarov and Mishra drew both games in 31 moves. In round 5, a Caro-Kann Defense: Advance Variation, Mishra held a clear advantage after 18.Rxb1, but the game ended level. The round 6 game was an East Indian Defense in which neither side held a clear advantage at any point.

Round 5: Drawn in 31 moves

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Round 6: Drawn in 31 moves

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Bibisara Assaubayeva vs. Rameshbabu Vaishali

Assaubayeva beat Vaishali with White in 46 moves in round 5, from a Semi-Slav Defense. Vaishali held a slight edge until 38...b6, after which Assaubayeva had a clear advantage and Vaishali had 34 seconds on the clock. Vaishali made two mistakes in the game, and Assaubayeva made none.

Vaishali won the round 6 game with White in 35 moves, so each player took one win from the pairing. The opening was the Sicilian Defense: Alapin Variation. Vaishali held a clear advantage from 15...f6 to the finish, and Assaubayeva resigned after 35.Be3.

Round 5: Assaubayeva won with White in 46 moves

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Round 6: Vaishali won with White in 35 moves, by resignation

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Hans Moke Niemann vs. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Vachier-Lagrave drew round 5 and beat Niemann in round 6, taking 4 points to Niemann's 1. The first game, a Sicilian Defense: Lasker-Pelikan Variation, Sveshnikov Variation, Chelyabinsk Variation, ended in a threefold repetition after 30 moves with neither side holding a clear advantage.

In round 6, Vachier-Lagrave won with White in 42 moves from an Italian Game: Two Knights Defense, Polerio Defense, Bishop Check Line. Vachier-Lagrave held a clear advantage from 29...Rxd2 to the finish, and Niemann resigned after 42.Rc4.

Round 5: Drawn in 30 moves, by repetition

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Round 6: Vachier-Lagrave won with White in 42 moves, by resignation

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Erigaisi Arjun vs. Wesley So

Erigaisi beat So with Black in 53 moves in round 5 and drew round 6, taking 4 points to So's 1. The first game was a Queen's Gambit Declined: Exchange Variation. The position was level until So's 53.Qg6, which left Erigaisi winning and So with 33 seconds on the clock. Erigaisi made two mistakes in the game to So's one.

The round 6 game, a Bogo-Indian Defense: Retreat Variation, ended in a threefold repetition after 13 moves. Neither side held a clear advantage at any point.

Round 5: Erigaisi won with Black in 53 moves

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Round 6: Drawn in 13 moves, by repetition

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