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CHENNAI: The $ 200,000 Masters of Airthings is set for an exciting conclusion on Sunday after the Azerbaijani star Teimour Radjabov overcame a tight Day 1 to lead through the night. Radjabov had a rock-solid performance against Armenia’s top star Levon Aronian that paid dividends in the last game of the set.
Aronian seemed to overextend himself as he pressed for victory and hesitated. It followed three close draws in which Radjabov, a former World Cup winner, kept Aronian’s imaginative attacking game at bay. Both players had shown their deep preparation for the final in games 1 and 2 with Aronian playing a new move in the first and pushing harder in the second.
But the tension was released in the final game when Radjabov took advantage of a slight inaccuracy from Aronian to force a victory. Radjabov said later: “It was a difficult match. All these matches are very tense.” He added: “I have my strategy that still works, but let’s see if it works until the end.” A deflated Aronian said he was “upset” after the loss.
In the play-off for third place, Daniil dubov He broke into a 2-0 lead before Maxime Vachier-Lagrave struck back twice to level the score 2-2 overnight. Both champions Chess Tour matches will be decided on Sunday with a second set and tie-breaks if necessary. Day 2 of the Airthings Masters Final, organized by Play Magnus Group, starts tomorrow at 15:00 CET. If the scores are set at 1-1, tiebreakers will be played to decide who wins.
