Armenia’s Shant Sargsyan and India’s Murali Karthikeyan secured victories to climb to the top of the standings after five rounds at the Qatar Masters Open, while title favourite Arjun Erigaisi joined the four-point club at Aspire Zone on Saturday.
Playing white pieces on board 2, Sargsyan beat Bulgarian grandmaster Arkadij Naiditsh while Karthikeyan defeated Iran’s Pouya Idani on board 3 with black pieces as both of them took their points tallies to 4.5. Erigaisi, meanwhile, reached four points after beating his compatriot Surya Shekhar Ganguly.
On the top board, Russia’s sixth seed Andrey Esipenko drew with Iran’s Bardiya Daneshvar, bringing both players to four points. UAE’s Salem Abdulrahman also secured his fourth point with a win over India’s Sankalp Gupta, while India’s Rithvik R Raja had the better of compatriot and 19th seed Pranav V to join the four-point pack.
Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan, World No. 6 and last year’s runner-up beat India’s Ayush Sharma to reach 3.5 points. His compatriot and defending champion Nodirbek Yakubboev also drew with Lorenzo Lodici (Italy, 26th seed), leaving both players with 3.5 points. Iran’s 3rd seed Parham Maghsoodloo defeated Aditya Dipangkar of India, raising his score to 3.5 points.
Meanwhile, the only Qatari player in the main tournament, International Master Husain Aziz drew with India’s Rajesh Nayak, raising his score to 1.5 points. Aziz had previously drawn with Mongolia’s Turmunkh Munkhzul in Round 4, lost to Cuba’s Luis Ernesto Quesada (the No. 27 seed), Uzbekistan’s Abdimalik Abdisalimov and settled for a draw in the opening round against China’s Zhihang Xu (ranked 35th).
In the Qatar Masters Open B tournament being held simultaneously, India’s 12-year-old Abdul Khader Syed, Uzbek Samandar Shermuhammadov and Pakistan’s Lodhi Mahmood remained unbeaten.
No. 2 seed Lodhi beat Khazakstan’s Yernur Akhmediyar to collect his fifth point, while Sayed defeated Uzbekistan’s Khudoyor Maraimov. Shermuhammadov beat Egypt’s Mohammed Salah Zozek.
Among Qatari winners in the B tournament on Saturday were Layan al-Qassabi (defeated Saudi Arabia’s Maitha al-Otaibi), Hamad al-Kuwari (beat compatriot Ahmed Saif), Turki al-Kuwari (beat India’s Dahanaraja Srijan) and Fahad al-Mansoori (defeated Johan Jobsy of India).
The youngest participant of the B tournament, 9-year-old Asma al-Hammadi of Qatar lost to India’s Rishi Ghanesharathinam.
Commenting on the ongoing prestigious tournament, Hamad al-Tamimi, Executive Director of the Qatar Chess Federation and Championship Director, highlighted the fierce competition and unexpected results at the top boards. With four rounds yet to be played, he acknowledged the difficulty in predicting the eventual champion.
Al-Tamimi also commended the strong performances of Qatari players and the seamless organisational efforts, emphasising the tournament’s pivotal role in nurturing chess talent and promoting the sport’s growth.