Chess: Haik Martirosyan beats Magnus Carlsen and takes the lead of his group in Budapest
- Published
- Place
- Budapest, Hungary
- Event date
- Past event —
Summary
Armenia’s number one Haik Martirosyan beat world number one Magnus Carlsen on Friday, 13 November, in Budapest. Playing White, the 26-year-old grandmaster won the first game of their match in 41 moves, on the third day of the group stage of the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot. In the evening, with Black, he drew. With 10 points, Martirosyan leads Group C ahead of Ian Nepomniachtchi, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, Anish Giri and Carlsen. The event, organised by Norway Chess with FIDE’s approval, runs until 20 November.
On paper, 154 Elo points separated the two men: 2669 for the Armenian, 2823 for the Norwegian, a five-time world champion and world number one for more than fifteen years. Over the board, the gap did not show. The Chess Federation of Armenia announced the win in the evening, and the Armenian press quickly picked it up.
A win built on the clock
According to The Indian Express, whose reporter was in Budapest, the game stayed balanced for most of the fight. But by move 21 Carlsen had only six minutes left on his clock, against almost twenty for Martirosyan. From move 27, the Norwegian was living almost entirely on the 30-second increment.
Under time pressure, he made several mistakes, all involving his queen, the Indian daily reported. Martirosyan finished the game on move 41. It was Carlsen’s first defeat of the group stage, after four draws. According to the Hindustan Times, it was also the pair’s first classical, FIDE-rated meeting.
In the return game, played at 18:30 with colours reversed, Carlsen did not get his revenge: the official tournament site records a draw.
A leader’s run
The duel crowns a remarkable start. Martirosyan lost his first two games with White, to Mamedyarov and then to Giri. Each time he won the return game with Black. On Friday he beat Carlsen, then drew with him.
A win is worth three points, a draw one. With 10 points, the Armenian leads Group C after the third day. Nepomniachtchi and Mamedyarov follow on 7, Giri has 6, Carlsen and American Abhimanyu Mishra 5. The Giri–Nepomniachtchi game was still in progress at the time of publication.
Only each group’s winner plays for overall victory: semi-finals on 17 and 18 November, the final on 19 and 20, at the Anantara New York Palace hotel in Budapest.
Carlsen under pressure in the ratings
The defeat also weighs on the live world ranking. After the first game, Carlsen was only nine points ahead of American Fabiano Caruana, 2809 to 2800, according to The Indian Express and the Hindustan Times. FIDE publishes its official rating list only at the start of each month.
After Hambardzumyan, over the board
It is not the first time this year that an Armenian has toppled Carlsen. On 18 August, Tigran Hambardzumyan, a 14-year-old FIDE Master, beat him at Titled Tuesday, an online five-minute tournament run by Chess.com, according to the Armenian federation quoted by Armenpress. The Budapest win carries more weight: it is a slow game, played face to face, and it counts for the FIDE rating list.
Analysis
For Armenian chess, the result comes at a key moment. Since Levon Aronian switched to the United States, Haik Martirosyan has carried the label of the country’s number one. Beating Carlsen at a slow time control, in front of the world’s elite, gives him a new stature. It also shows that the next generation exists, from 26-year-old grandmasters to teenagers like Hambardzumyan. The task now is to turn the feat into qualification: two group days can still change everything.
Possible consequences
On Saturday, 14 November, Martirosyan plays Ian Nepomniachtchi in two games. On Sunday, 15 November, he ends the group stage against Abhimanyu Mishra. Group winners meet in the semi-finals from 17 November.
