Martirosyan secures Group C lead with decisive win over Carlsen in Budapest

BUDAPEST – Haik Martirosyan turned the tide in Group C by defeating Magnus Carlsen with white on Day 3 of the Fast Classic group stage at the Total Chess World Championship Tour Pilot. The victory breaks a streak of four consecutive draws for Carlsen and lifts Martirosyan to the top of his group with ten points, while Carlsen falls to five.

Group A saw a notable upset when Andrew Hong eclipsed Alireza Firouzja for his first Fast Classic win. Hong used white to beat the group leader, yet Firouzja responded in the reverse game, securing his own point to maintain his advantage. The pair now sit on 11 and six points respectively, with Jan‑Krzysztof Duda and Levon Aronian drawing both of their encounters. Duda sits on nine points, two behind Firouzja, while Aronian holds seven.

Fabiano Caruana continued his unbeaten run in Group B, converting a black-side endgame victory over Vincent Keymer. A draw in the return game extended Caruana’s lead to four points; he now totals 14 points from four wins and two draws. Liem Le drew both of his games with Richard Rapport, moving to ten points, while Rapport sits on five. Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu and Vladislav Artemiev also drew twice, the first lasting 89 moves; Artemiev has five points, Praggnanandhaa four.

Group C’s standings also feature Jorden van Foreest, who collected four points against Nodirbek Abdusattorov. Van Foreest won their first encounter and drew the return, raising his tally to eight points, with Abdusattorov on five.

Group D’s leader, Maxime Vachier‑Lagrave, widened his advantage by beating Hans Moke Niemann in the direct contest. After a draw in the first game, Vachier‑Lagrave applied sustained pressure with white and converted the position, pushing his total to 12 points—three clear of Niemann. Arjun Erigaisi matched Niemann’s nine‑point total after a win and a draw against Wesley So, leaving So on four points.

Elsewhere, Anish Giri moved into second place on nine points by drawing Ian Nepomniachtchi and then winning the reversal game with white. The lengthy battle left Nepomniachtchi on seven points.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Abhimanyu Mishra each drew both of their games, earning seven and five points respectively.

The Fast Classic group stage resumes on Saturday, November 14, with Games 7 and 8. Four rounds remain for each competitor before the group standings will determine the six participants advancing to the knockout brackets.

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