Aeroflot Open to host Armenian chess players

PanARMENIAN.Net - The 2013 edition of Aeroflot Open will take place from February 12 to 17 at the exhibition center InfoProstranstvo in Moscow. This edition will be dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the leading Russian airline company.

The total prize fund of all tournaments is 150 000 USD.

Top 16 games will be broadcasted live with Grandmaster commentary in Russian language.

Aeroflot Open is starting immediately after the International Chess Festival Moscow Open-2013.

The first event will be the Qualifying Rapid tournament on February 12-13. 32 top finishers qualify for the knock-out tournament, which will be held on 15th February, and thus secure themselves a minimal prize of 1 000 USD.

A massive Blitz Open will be played on February 14 with 9 double rounds of Swiss system and time control 3 minutes plus 2 seconds increment. The tournament prize fund is 50 000 USD.

The Knock-Out Rapid tournament with 32 qualified players is set for February 15. In each round there are two games played with the time control 15 minutes plus 10 seconds increment. If the score is level one decisive Armageddon game is played.

Eight winners qualify for the Main Final Rapid. The players tied for 9th-16th places, receive 1500 USD each, and those tied for 17th- 32nd places, receive 1000 USD each.

The Main Final Rapid with eight qualified players and eight invited stars is scheduled for February 16-17, FIDE official website reported.

To perform at rapid and blitz tournaments are Armenia’s Tigran Petrosian, Zaven Andriasian, Tigran Kotanjian, Hovhannes Gabuzyan, Robert Aghasaryan, Tigran Simonyan and David Gevorgyan, among others.