The
biggest and most important open chess tournament of
the world, organized by the Russian airline Aeroflot,
ended Feb. 22 with a flourish that shuffled the leaderboard
at its conclusion. The 21‑year‑old Russian
Grandmaster Evgeny Alekseev took first place after an
impressive sprint to the finish line.
Alekseev
entered the final round tied for first with two of his
countrymen, the 19‑year‑old Evgeny Tomashevsky
and the 23‑year‑old Dmitry Jakovenko. These
two played their last game against each other, and surprisingly
agreed to accept a draw after playing only 14 moves.
This
strategy opened the door of opportunity for Alekseev.
In our featured match, the young Russian came up against
the 23‑year‑old Grandmaster from Armenia,
Gabriel Sargissian.
Alekseev’s
victory must be especially bitter for Tomashevsky, as
he sat at the top of the standings from the first round.
This
victory is not only important because of the amount
of money that the winner earns, a $30,000 prize this
year, but also because the winner automatically receives
an invitation to play in one of the most important tournaments
of the world, the “Sparkasse Chess Meeting” in Dortmund,
Germany. By winning the Aeroflot Open, almost unknown
Grandmasters like Alekseev, get an exclusive chance
to climb to the top of chess’ ladder.
