Tepe Sigeman & Co 2022 R3: Hans Niemann halts Arjun Erigaisi
Arjun Erigaisi met his match in the form USA's top junior Hans Niemann. The in-form India no.4 suffered his first loss in the third round of 27th Tepe Sigeman & Co Chess Tournament 2022. An incorrect queen exchange destroyed Arjun's pawn structure and made the position even more difficult to play. Niemann being an enterprising player, had no trouble seizing his advantage and converting it into a full point. Both Arjun and Niemann are currently in the lead at 2.0/3 each. The remaining three games ended in draws. Round 4 starts today at 3:00 p.m. CET (6:30 p.m. IST). Photo: Lars OA Hedlund/TePe Sigeman & Co Tournament 2022
Hans denies Arjun's hat-trick, joins the lead
Just like the previous round, the third round also witnessed only one decisive game. Hans Niemann scored his first win of the event against the tournament leader, Arjun Erigaisi.
Niemann - Arjun: 1-0
Arjun Erigaisi (2675) made an incorrect queen exchange offer which was initially declined by Hans Niemann (USA, 2637). He gained a tempo by developing his bishop and then exchanged the queen at the next opportunity.
What Black could have done instead is 19...b5 20.Qb3 Qb7 maneuver the knight to b6 and so on. 19...Qc6 20.Qxc6 bxc6 fragmented Black's pawn structure. The position became far more unpleasant and difficult to play.
The straw that broke the camel's back moment would be 43...g5. After 44.a4 it was a point of no return for Black. There were no breakthroughs left for Black which means the chance to salvage the position was gone. 43...a4 was worth a try.
Time Control
90 minutes for 40 moves and then 30 minutes for the remaining moves with 30 seconds cumulative increment for each move starting from the first move (Malmö rules-no draws before move 40).
Replay Round 3 games
Round 3 results
Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||||
1 | 2 | 2690 | GM | Salem A.R. Saleh | ½ - ½ | GM | Shirov Alexei | 2695 | 8 | ||
2 | 3 | 2656 | GM | Niemann Hans Moke | 1 - 0 | GM | Erigaisi Arjun | 2675 | 1 | ||
3 | 4 | 2635 | GM | Grandelius Nils | ½ - ½ | GM | Navara David | 2682 | 7 | ||
4 | 5 | 2715 | GM | Van Foreest Jorden | ½ - ½ | GM | Adams Michael | 2698 | 6 |
Round 4 pairings
Bo. | No. | Rtg | Name | Result | Name | Rtg | No. | ||||
1 | 8 | 2695 | GM | Shirov Alexei | GM | Adams Michael | 2698 | 6 | |||
2 | 7 | 2682 | GM | Navara David | GM | Van Foreest Jorden | 2715 | 5 | |||
3 | 1 | 2675 | GM | Erigaisi Arjun | GM | Grandelius Nils | 2635 | 4 | |||
4 | 2 | 2690 | GM | Salem A.R. Saleh | GM | Niemann Hans Moke | 2656 | 3 |
Schedule
3rd - 8th May - 3 p.m. CET (6:30 p.m. IST), 7th May - 2 p.m. CET (5:30 p.m. IST).
9th May - 12 p.m. CET (3:30 p.m. IST)