SOCHI (PanARMENIAN.Net) — Armenian grandmaster Haik Martirosyan defeated Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Azerbaijan’s top player and the world No. 6, to reach Round 4 of the FIDE World Cup, the International Chess Federation reveals․
Martirosyan beat Mamedyarov 1-0 in the first game, and the exact opposite happened in the second game. In the tiebreak, however, the Armenian grandmaster snatched victory in a stunning 1.5-0.5 upset.
Several other favorites, like Anish Giri of the Netherlands or Fabiano Caruana of the United States, have been knocked out of the tournament too.
Armenia’s top chess player and world No. 5 Levon Aronian had to withdraw from the FIDE World Cup 2021 earlier, citing health issues.
