Aeroflot Open, Moscow 2002

The 1st Aeroflot Open in 2002 was probably one of the strongest open tournaments of all time, since among the total of 132 players there were more than 80 grandmasters and almost all remaining participants were IM's. With a rating Elo 2407 I was seeded 127th, as in the tournament only players with Elo more than 2400 were allowed to participate. I finished in 35th place and over-fulfilled by a half point my first GM norm.

Ashot Nadanian. Result: 5 out of 9, Rating Average: 2612, Rating Performance: 2649.

Opponents and results:
Round 1: IM Izoria, Zviad (2547) GEO 1
Round 2: GM Bologan, Viktor (2651) MDA 1
Round 3: GM Tkachiev, Vladislav (2634) FRA 1/2
Round 4: GM Bu Xiangzhi (2593) CHN 1/2
Round 5: GM Dolmatov, Sergey (2588) RUS 1/2
Round 6: GM Onischuk, Alexander (2655) UKR 1/2
Round 7: GM Sulskis, Sarunas (2579) LTU 1/2
Round 8: GM Kharlov, Andrei (2638) RUS 0
Round 9: GM Lastin, Alexander (2630) RUS 1/2

Ashot Nadanian (2407) - Zviad Izoria (2547)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (1), 05.02.2002

1.e4 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3 Rb8 9.a4 a6 10.Qe2 b5 11.axb5 axb5 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 Nd5 14.Qf2 Qb6 15.Nbd2 Bf5 16.Ne1 Nc7 17.Ndf3 Nxe5 18.Nxe5 Bxe5 19.Be3 Ne6 20.h3 Qd6 21.g4 Bxg4 22.hxg4 b4 23.Rc1 bxc3 24.bxc3 Rb3 25.Qd2 Rfb8 26.Be4 Bf6 27.Kg2 Rb2 28.Rc2 Bh4 29.Rg1 Rxc2 30.Nxc2 Rb2 31.Kh3 Bg5 32.Bxg5 Nxg5+ 33.Qxg5 Rxc2 34.Rg3 Rxc3 35.Qd2 Qd4 36.Rf3 Qe5 37.Qa2 c4 38.Qa8+ Kg7 39.dxc4 Rc1 40.Kg2 Qg5 41.Qc8 Qd2+ 42.Rf2 Qe1 43.Qc6 Qg1+ 44.Kf3 Rc3+ 45.Ke2 Qxg4+ 46.Kd2 Rg3 47.Qd5 e6 48.Qe5+ Kg8 49.Qb8+ Kg7 50.Qb7 Kh6 51.Rxf7 Qg5+ 52.Kc2 Qe3 53.Rxh7+ Kg5 54.Qe7+ Kf4 55.Qf6+ 1-0

Viktor Bologan (2651) - Ashot Nadanian (2407)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (2), 2002

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Bc5 5.Nb3 Bb6 6.Nc3 Ne7 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bf4 f5 9.Bd6 fxe4 10.Nxe4 Nf5 11.0-0 Nxd6 12.Nxd6 Nc6 13.Qe2 Bc7 14.Rad1 Bxd6 15.Rxd6 Qc7 16.Rfd1 Nd8 17.Bd3 Nf7 18.Qh5 h6 19.Rd4 Qe5 20.Qg6 Ng5 21.f4 Qe3+ 22.Kh1 Nh3 23.Qh7+ Kf7 24.Bg6+ Kf6 25.R4d2 Nxf4 26.Rf1 b6 27.Re2 Qxe2 28.Rxf4+ Kg5 0-1

Ashot Nadanian (2405) - Vladislav Tkachiev (2634)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (3), 06.02.2002

1.Nf3 d6 2.e4 Nf6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 Bg7 5.h3 0-0 6.Be3 c6 7.a4 Qc7 8.Be2 e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.0-0 Nh5 11.Re1 Qe7 12.Qc1 Re8 13.Nh2 Nf4 14.Bxf4 exf4 15.Qxf4 Qb4 16.Ra3 Nd7 17.Ng4 Nc5 18.Nf6+ Bxf6 19.Qxf6 Qxb2 20.Raa1 Qb4 21.Rab1 Qa5 22.Red1 Nd7 23.Qf3 Qc5 24.Bf1 Kg7 25.Rd2 Qg5 26.Qe2 Nc5 27.g3 b6 28.Qe1 Nd7 29.Rbd1 Nf6 30.Kh2 Qc5 ½-½

Bu Xiangzhi (2593) - Ashot Nadanian (2407)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (4), 07.02.2002

1.d4 e6 2.c4 f5 3.g3 Nf6 4.Bg2 c6 5.Nh3 d6 6.0-0 Be7 7.Nc3 0-0 8.Qc2 e5 9.dxe5 dxe5 10.e4 Nxe4 11.Nxe4 fxe4 12.Rd1 Qe8 13.Ng5 Qh5 14.Nxe4 Bg4 15.Re1 Na6 16.Qb3 Bb4 17.Bd2 Bxd2 18.Nxd2 Rad8 19.Ne4 Rd7 20.Rac1 Qf5 21.c5+ Kh8 22.a3 Nc7 23.f3 Bxf3 24.Nd6 Bd5 25.Qe3 Qg6 26.Rf1 Rdd8 27.Qxe5 Bxg2 28.Kxg2 Nd5 29.Nxb7 Ra8 30.Nd6 Qd3 31.Kg1 Qd2 32.Nc4 Qd3 33.Nd6 Qd2 34.Nf5 Nf6 35.Qd4 Rad8 36.Qxd2 Rxd2 37.b4 Ng4 38.Rcd1 Ra2 39.Ne3 Nf2 40.Rd4 Re2 41.Rh4 g5 42.Rh5 Kg7 43.Ng4 Kg6 44.Rh6+ Kg7 45.Rh5 Kg6 46.Rh6+ Kg7 47.Rh5 ½-½

Ashot Nadanian (2407) - Sergey Dolmatov (2588)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (5), 07.02.2002

1.Nf3 e6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.g3 b6 5.Bg2 Bb7 6.0-0 Be7 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bxg2 9.Kxg2 a6 10.Qd3 0-0 11.Rd1 Qc7 12.b3 Nc6 ½-½

Alexander Onischuk (2655) - Ashot Nadanian (2407)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (6), 2002

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 c4 7.Bg2 Bb4 8.0-0 Nge7 9.a3 Ba5 10.Ne5 0-0 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bxe7 Nxe7 13.Rc1 Bf5 14.Nxd5 Nxd5 15.e4 c3 16.b4 Bxe4 17.Bxe4 Bb6 18.Qf3 Bxd4 19.Nxf7 Qf6 20.Bxd5 Qxf3 21.Bxf3 Kxf7 22.Bxb7 Rad8 23.Kg2 Bf6 24.Rfd1 Rxd1 25.Rxd1 Rd8 26.Bd5+ Ke7 27.Re1+ Kf8 28.Be4 g5 29.Re2 Re8 30.Kf1 Bd4 31.Ke1 c2 32.Kd2 Bb2 33.Kxc2 Bxa3 34.Kb3 Bc1 35.Rc2 Rxe4 36.Rxc1 Re7 37.Rc2 Kf7 38.Ka4 g4 39.Ka5 Kf6 40.Ka6 Kg5 41.Rc5+ Kg6 42.Rc4 h5 43.Rf4 Kg5 44.Rf8 Re4 45.Rg8+ Kh6 46.b5 Ra4+ 47.Kb7 Rb4 48.Kc6 Rc4+ 49.Kd5 Rc2 50.Rf8 Rb2 51.Kc6 Rc2+ 52.Kb7 Rb2 53.Rf5 Kg6 54.Rc5 Ra2 55.Rc3 Ra5 56.Rb3 Kg5 57.Rb2 h4 58.Rb4 h3 59.Kc6 Ra2 60.Rf4 Rc2+ 61.Kd5 Rb2 62.Kc4 Rb1 63.Rf7 Rc1+ 64.Kd3 Rb1 65.Kc4 Rc1+ 66.Kd5 Rb1 67.Kc6 Rc1+ 68.Kd5 Rb1 69.Rg7+ Kf5 70.Rf7+ Kg5 71.Ke4 Rb4+ 72.Ke3 Rb3+ ½-½

Ashot Nadanian (2407) - Sarunas Sulskis (2579)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (7), 09.02.2002

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 b6 4.g3 Bb7 5.Bg2 Bb4+ 6.Bd2 c5 7.Bxb4 cxb4 8.0-0 0-0 9.a3 Qe7 10.Qb3 Nc6 11.Rd1 Na5 12.Qxb4 Qxb4 13.axb4 Nxc4 14.Ne5 Bxg2 15.Nxc4 Bd5 16.Ne3 ½-½

Andrei Kharlov (2638) - Ashot Nadanian (2407)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (8), 09.02.2002

1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 c5 4.e3 Nf6 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.Bb5 Bd6 8.0-0 0-0 9.h3 Re8 10.dxc5 Bxc5 11.b3 a6 12.Bxc6 bxc6 13.Bb2 Qd6 14.Na4 Ba7 15.Bd4 c5 16.Bxf6 Qxf6 17.Qxd5 Bf5 18.Rad1 Be4 19.Qg5 Qc6 20.Ne5 Qc7 21.Nc4 Re6 22.f3 Bc6 23.Nc3 Rae8 24.Nd5 Qb8 25.Qf4 Qb7 26.Nd6 Rxd6 27.Qxd6 h6 28.Rfe1 Re6 29.Qc7 1-0

Ashot Nadanian (2407) - Alexander Lastin (2630)
Moscow Aeroflot op Moscow (9), 10.02.2002

1.e4 c5 2.g3 Nc6 3.Bg2 g6 4.d3 Bg7 5.f4 d6 6.Nf3 Nf6 7.0-0 0-0 8.c3 Rb8 9.a4 a6 10.Qe2 b5 11.axb5 axb5 12.e5 dxe5 13.fxe5 Nd5 14.Qf2 ½-½