Round 1 Upset for the Nodirbeks – Qatar Masters 2024
Taking place at the Torch Hotel in the Capital city of Doha, Qatar Masters is one of the strongest Open tournaments taking place this year. The tournament is immensely critical from the view of the top seeds, Arjun Erigaisi and Nodirbek Abdusattorov who are in the running for a spot in the Candidates 2026 via FIDE Circuit!
As the tournament commenced earlier this evening, we witnessed upsets on 4 out of the top 5 boards in Round 1! Both Nodirbek Abdusattorov and Nodirbek Yakkuboev found themselves in trouble against their opponents in the first-round games, both of which finished in favour of their opponents. Iranian FM Reza Mahdavi took down Abdusattorov using the aggressive King’s Indian Defense, while Yakkuboev found himself in trouble with the black pieces in an attempt to deploy the very same opening.
Qatar Masters 2024 Open ‘A’ has a cap of 2300, which allowed many exciting pairings right from the first round. Many young FMs and IMs got the opportunity to test their mettle against the Super GMs, including FM Artin Ashraf who held his country-man Amin Tabatabaei to a draw. Parham Maghsoodloo also dropped half a point against his 2392-rated opponent. Indian Olympiad gold medalist Vantika Agrawal held Vladislav Artemiev to a draw, playing an extremely accurate game. Legend Vasyl Ivanchuk also had to settle for a draw against his young Uzbek opponent, FM Bakhrillaev, Bakhrom (2369). Esipenko, Nihal Sarin, and Martirosyan were among the other top seeds who avoided the upset galore and moved forward with a win.
The last-minute entrant and the #1 seed Arjun Erigaisi cruised through his first game with a win. With an early first-round loss, Abdusattorov has diminished his chances of winning the tournament significantly, and now, what looks like a two-horse race between a determined Arjun and Fabiano Caruana, will be something to look forward to as the competition unravels!
Follow the results of Qatar Master 2024 HERE
