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In Round 9 of the tournament held in Dubai (UAE), Armenian GMs Hrant Melkumyan and David Harutyunyan won against Azerbaijani Safarli and Georgian Pantsulaia respectively. They scored 7 points each out of 9 and shared the 1st-8th places with GMs Iturrizaga (Venezuela), Iordachescu (Moldova), Aleksandrov (Belarus), Guseinov (Azerbaijan), Sanikidze (Georgia) and Volkov (Russia) in the. In the tie-break Melkumyan took the 6th, Harutyunyan - 7th place among the 150 participants. The first prize was awarded to Iturrizaga.

GM Gabriel Sargsyan scored 6,5 and ended 10th, GM Tigran Kotanjyan is 30th with 5,5, while GM Tigran L. Petrosyan ranked 41st with 5,5. GM Gevorg Harutyunyan scored 5 points (50th place).

Eltai Safarli - Hrant Melkumyan 0:1

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. h3 Nd7 8. d3 Bd6 9. Ne2 c5 10. c3 Nb8 11. a3 Nc6 12. O-O O-O 13. Be3 a5 14. d4 cxd4 15. cxd4 exd4 16. Nexd4 Nxd4 17. Bxd4 b6 18. Bc3 Re8 19. Re1 Bb7 20. Qd4 Bf8 21. Qa4 Re6 22. Rad1 Qe8 23. Qxe8 Raxe8 24. e5 f6 25. exf6 Bxf3 26. Rxe6 Rxe6 27. gxf3 gxf6 28. f4 Rc6 29. Rd3 Kf7 30. f5 Bd6 31. Bd4 Be7 32. Rc3 Rd6 33. Be3 c5 34. Rc4 Bf8 35. Rh4 h6 36. Kg2 Rd1 37. Rc4 Rd5 38. Rh4 Rd3 39. Re4 Rb3 40. Bc1 Bd6 41. Re3 Rb5 42. Rd3 Ke7 43. b3 h5 44. Bd2 c4 45. bxc4 Rxf5 46. Rb3 Bc5 47. Be3 Kd6 48. Bxc5+ bxc5 49. Rd3+ Ke6 50. Re3+ Kf7 51. Kg3 h4+ 52. Kxh4 Rxf2 53. Rc3 Rg2 54. Rf3 Ke6 55. Re3+ Kf5 56. Kh5 Rg8 57. Rf3+ Ke5 58. Rd3 f5 59. Rd5+ Ke4 60. Rxc5 f4 61. Rxa5 f3 62. Ra7 Rf8 63. Re7+ Kf5 64. Kh6 f2 65. Kg7 Rf6 0:1.

Levan Pantsulaia - David Harutyunyan 0:1

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Bg5 Ne4 5. Bh4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 dxc4 7. e3 Be6 8.
Nf3 Bg7 9. Ng5 Bd5 10. e4 h6 11. exd5 hxg5 12. Bxg5 Qxd5 13. h4 Nc6 14. Qe2 Qa5 15. Qd2 f6 16. Be3 Qd5 17. O-O-O O-O-O 18. Qe2 b5 19. Qc2 f5 20. h5 e5 21. dxe5 Qxe5 22. Rxd8+ Rxd8 23. Be2 gxh5 24. Rxh5 Nb4 25. cxb4 Qa1+ 26. Qb1 Qc3+ 27. Qc2 Qa3+ 28. Kb1 Qxb4+ 29. Kc1 Bb2+ 0:1.

David Shengelia - Gabriel Sargsyan 0:1

1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nf3 Nf6 4. Nc3 e6 5. e3 Nbd7 6. a3 Bd6 7. Bd3 O-O 8. O-O dxc4 9. Bxc4 e5 10. e4 exd4 11. Qxd4 Qc7 12. Bg5 Ne5 13. Bxf6 gxf6 14. Kh1 c5 15. Qd5 Be6 16. Nxe5 Bxd5 17. Nxd5 Qc8 18. Nxf6+ Kh8 19. Nxf7+ Rxf7 20. Bxf7 Qf8 21. Ne8 Be5 22. Bh5 Qh6 23. g4 Qf4 24. Kg2 Qxh2+ 25. Kf3 Qf4+ 26. Kg2 Rxe8 0:1.