Dlugy, Moradiabadi Streak To Victory In Titled Tuesday

GMs Max Dlugy and Elshan Moradiabadi put together massive victory streaks of eight and seven wins respectively to grab and convert on tournament leads in Titled Tuesday.

Dlugy achieved sole first in the early event after starting with eight (!) wins, while Moradiabadi was first among equals. After losing in round one, Moradiabadi won seven in a row, catching IM Alexander Moskalenko and splitting the final-round point for mutual first. They were also caught in what was a three-way tie for first by GM Yaroslav Zherebukh in the final round after he accomplished the difficult task of defeating GM Hikaru Nakamura.

This was Dlugy's third victory (and second consecutively as he also won last month!) and Moskalenko's second. For both Zherebukh and Moradiabadi, it was their first, though each had played before.

Dlugy was clearly the uncontested story of the early event. Not only did he win, he looked dominant doing it. Here he won against the European blitz champ and four-time Titled Tuesday victor GM Dmitry Andreikin with Black and with apparent ease.

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Dlugy did nearly the same to GM Anton Demchenko in round eight, steamrolling as Black with a stylish attack.

Dlugy's competitors must have been disappointed to have no shot at first in the final round, but three players won their final-round game to claim shared second on 7.5/8. These were Moskalenko and GMs Evgeny Shaposhnikov and Eduardo Iturrizaga. Shaposhnikov has been a regular contender in recent months, and in round six he demonstrated the kind of tactical awareness it takes to finish on top of a Titled Tuesday crosstable.

Titled Tuesday, Early Event | Final Standings (6.5 Points And Up)

Full tournament crosstables available here.

As noted, GM Elshan Moradiabadi won seven games in a row (after losing his first!) to get to the top of the crosstable. He played excellent chess but did benefit from one moment of good fortune in an otherwise well-played game against GM Federico Perez Ponsa.

Moradiabadi recently earned a graduate degree from Texas Tech.

Perez Ponsa redeemed his missed opportunity with this, your reporter's favorite move of the event, when he offered a bishop to finally get through to White's long-centralized and beleaguered king.

Moskalenko earned his place at the top of the podium by being the only undefeated player to reach the key score of 7.5/9. He won what was surely the most incredible game of the event against GM Alan Pichot when both players queened pawns and began attacking the opponent's king.

Finally, our third late-night champion achieved the heroic feat of defeating a struggling, but still contending, Nakamura in the final round. Not only did Zherebukh win this game, he outplayed the legendary Nakamura positionally and tactically in a chaotic position with little time.

Titled Tuesday, Late Event | Final Standings (6.5 Points And Up)

Full tournament crosstables available here.

The full tournament with expert commentary from GM Eric Hansen is available on Twitch.tv/chess.

Watch live video from on www.twitch.tv

For clear first place in the early event, Dlugy earns $500 while Moskalenko, Shaposhnikov, and Iturrizaga each get $117. GMs Anton Demchenko, Bassem Amin, and Mustafa Yilmaz shared a diluted fifth place and $17.

In the late event, our three winners claimed most of the money with $292 each going to Moradiabadi, Moskalenko, and Zherebukh. The remaining prize money went to GMs Perez Ponsa and Iturrizaga, IM Kacper Drozdowski, and FM Marek Karas, who all earned $31.25.

The next Titled Tuesday will take place on February 7 at 2 p.m. Pacific time with a $1,500 prize pool. The live broadcast will be available on Chess.com/tv and Twitch.tv/chess.