Indian Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly (left) and Andrey Esipenko, competing under the FIDE flag, during their Qatar Masters Open Round 3 match yesterday.
DOHA: Russia’s World No. 45 Andrey Esipenko, competing under the FIDE flag, yesterday defeated veteran Indian Grandmaster Surya Shekhar Ganguly to climb up to the peak of the points tally on the third day of the Qatar Masters Open 2024.
Following his third win in a row at the Aspire Hall, Esipenko, a former U-16 world champion, along with three others, share the lead with three points each, along with Armenia’s Shant Sargsyan, Bulgaria’s Arkadij Naiditsch and Iran’s Pouya Idani.
Top seed and title favourite Arjun Erigaisi of India, last year’s runner-up and this time No.2 seed Nodirbek Abdusattorov, defending champion Nodirbek Yakubboev of Uzbekistan, and No.3 seed Parham Maghsoudlou of Iran were also among the winners.
Erigaisi, one of the 14 players who have earned 2.5 points, defeated Saidakbar Saydaliev of Uzbekistan.
Erigaisi was on Wednesday held to a draw by Kazakhstan’s World No 701 Murtas Kazhgaleyev in an unexpected turn of play, making a slight impact in the Indian World No.4’s title hopes at the prestigious event. However, the 21-year-old Erigaisi stays optimistic as he looks to bounce back strongly.
“It’s great to be back at the Qatar Masters,” said Erigaisi.
“The tournament is well-organized, and the atmosphere is fantastic. I’m feeling good and aiming to win the title, but I know it won’t be easy. There are a lot of strong players here, both established and up-and-coming individuals,” India’s top-ranked player Erigaisi said.
Abdusattorov who came second last year, defeated Polish Woman Grandmaster, while the title-holder Yakubboev won against Iranian FIDE Master Artin Ashraf.
Yakubboev is currently at 2 points following his surprising first-round defeat, while Abdusattorov struggles at 1.5 points after losing the opener and drawing the second. Iran’s Reza Mahdavi, who defeated Abdusattorov in Round 1, yesterday slipped to 2.5 after being held to a draw by compatriot Bardiya Daneshvar.
Qatar’s International Master Hussein Aziz faced a tough challenge against Cuba’s Luis Ernesto Quesada (the No. 27 seed). Quesada collected his first full point as he raised his tally to 1.5 following a draw against FM Arseniy Shturman on Tuesday, and a loss to Hengyi Zhu of China on Wednesday.
The Qatari champion Aziz had previously lost to Uzbekistan’s Abdimalik Abdisalimov in the second round and settled for a draw in the opening round against China’s Zhihang Xu (ranked 35th), leaving him with just half a point at the end of the first three rounds.
Former Russian star Alexey Kuzmin, Technical Director of Qatar’s national team, praised the championship as one of the strongest open tournaments in the world.
“This is an invaluable opportunity for players to gain exposure to strong competition and learn from past mistakes. For us as coaches, the tournament aids in elevating the players’ skills,” Kuzmin said.
He emphasized the federation’s goal of building a competitive Qatari national team capable of excelling in regional and continental events.
Meanwhile, in the simultaneously-run Qatar Masters B Tournament, the local players encountered mixed fortunes.
Ibrahim Al Janaahi defeated UAE’s Rashid Al Hammadi, while Khalid Al Jumaat lost to Algeria’s Mohamed Anis (seeded 12th). The youngest participant Asmaa Al Hammadi, aged nine, suffered a loss to India’s Hari Rajesh.
Top seed, Iraq’s FIDE Master Mohammed Salah Zozek leads the overall B Tournament standings, followed by U-20 leader Yousef A Al Hassadi of Libya in second place, and UAE’s Ali al Hamad Zayed in third position. The contests in the fourth round take place today.
