ARMAN PASHIKYAN LEADING AEROFLOT OPEN 2009 A1 TOURNAMENT

PanARMENIAN.Net
25.02.2009 17:33 GMT+04:00

/PanARMENIAN.Net/ The 8th tour of Aeroflot Open 2009 International
Chess Festival held in Moscow from Feb. 16 to Feb.27, 2008 was
completed. The Armenian Champion and grandmaster Arman Pashikyan having
beaten the Russian grandmaster Igor Kurnosov, won the A1 tournament,
leading with 6 points.

Olympic Champion Gabriel Sargsyan scored 5 points and is among other
A1 tournament participants ranked 10th to 16th.

U.S. grand master Melikset Khachiyan is leading in A2 tournament with
6,5 points, followed by the Armenian chess player Gabriel Sargsyan,
who came second with 6 points.

9 tours were completed in C Tournament, resulting in
4 victories. Armenia’s Aghasi Inants and Arnold Minasyan are the
winners, having scored 7 points each.

Today the leader of A tournament Arman Pashikyan will rival French
grandmaster Etienne Bacrot, and in case of victory will become the
sole A tournament winner.

The total prize fund of the four tournaments is EUR 140 000: Tournament
A1 -21 000 euro, Tournament A2 -9 000 euro, Tournament B -3 500 euro,
Tournament C – 2 000 euro.

World Quick-chess Championship Qualifying Tournament will be held on
Feb. 26.

6 tournament winners will participate in the World Championship Final
due in November. Participants of A1 and A2 tournaments as well as 3 B
and C tournament winners will be playing in the qualifying tournament
free of charge.