GM Nijat Abasov leads the Vugar Gashimov Memorial 2023 after the first three rounds of rapid on Friday. Going undefeated, Abasov had wins vs. GMs Richard Rapport and Boris Gelfand that brought him to the top of the scoreboard. His dynamic skirmish with Rapport is our Game of the Day.
GMs Rauf Mamedov, Arjun Erigaisi, and Vidit Gujrathi trail by a point in a tie for second.
The second day of rapid begins on Saturday, December 9, at 6 a.m. ET/12:00 CET/4:30 p.m. IST.
Standings – Day 1
This is the ninth edition of the Vugar Gashimov Memorial, an elite tournament dedicated to the late GM Vugar Gashimov, an Azerbaijani grandmaster who reached sixth in the world rankings at his peak. Every year, the organizers make a special effort to celebrate Gashimov’s memory. On the day before the tournament, the players visited Gashimov’s grave in the Alley of Honors.
The participants of “the Vugar Gashimov Memorial -2023”, which will be organized for the 9th time, visited the grave of the famous chess player Vugar Gashimov in the Alley of Honors.#chess @ChessbaseIndia #grandmasters pic.twitter.com/XQBml01wLF
— Gashimov Chess (@GashimovC) December 8, 2023
Abasov Takes Early Lead
After a draw vs. GM Jorden van Foreest in the first round, Abasov defeated Rapport in round two to join GM Shakriyar Mamedyarov in the lead. As the Romanian grandmaster attempted to stir up play against his king, Abasov reinforced his kingside and then struck in the center, setting off a slew of dynamic play and taking over the initiative. His first win of the tournament is our Game of the Day, analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below.
In round three, Abasov jumped ahead of his co-leaders with a victory against Gelfand. Abasov overcame the former world championship challenger with a creative exchange sacrifice in their endgame struggle.
Despite entering the event as the second-lowest seed, Abasov is in clear first after day one. Overperforming as the underdog is reminiscent of Abasov’s run at the FIDE World Cup 2023―where he reached the semifinals to face GM Magnus Carlsen. Will the 28-year-old grandmaster continue to exceed expectations?
Erigaisi, Mamedov, And Vidit Share Second
Also undefeated, Erigaisi, Mamedov, and Vidit share second with one victory each. Erigaisi balanced attack and defense on all sides of the board in his clash vs. Mamedyarov in round three.
Mamedov turned an error into a mighty passed pawn vs. GM Aydin Suleymanli to score the only victory of the first round.
When Rapport sacrificed to launch a kingside attack in round three, Vidit had a winning counterpunch ready.
Missed Opportunities
Often, moves that aren’t played can affect the result as much as the ones that are. In round one, Mamedyarov sacrificed the exchange to gain the initiative. Yet, when he later declined a chance for a perpetual check, Rapport missed a brief tactical opportunity. Can you find it in the puzzle below?
Black to move.
For a moment, a spectacular, yet hidden opportunity appeared in GM Teimour Radjabov‘s round-two game vs. Suleymanli.
White to move.
Crosstable – Day 1
The 2023 Vugar Gashimov Memorial is a 10-player tournament taking place December 8-11 in Gabala, Azerbaijan. The tournament consists of a rapid and a blitz tournament with a double round-robin system for the blitz. The final standing of the players shall be determined according to the sum of points of the rapid and blitz tournaments. Players earn two points for a win in rapid and one point in blitz.
