Karthikeyan Murali clinches 1st Imaweb Trophy GM Tournament 2023
GM Karthikeyan Murali scored an unbeaten 7/9 to win 1st Imaweb Trophy GM Tournament 2023. Karthikeyan finished a half point ahead of the field. IM Dominik Horvath (AUT) was placed second. He scored sole 6.5/9. Third place was claimed by GM Karen H Grigoryan (ARM). He made 6/9 and also remained undefeated. He drew against the eventual champion, Karthikeyan in the final round. The total prize fund was €6000. The top three prizes were €2500, €2000 and €1500 each respectively. This is Karthikeyan's first rating tournament triumph of the year. It was one of the most high level close tournament played in France - Category 14. Photos: Echiquier du Roy René
An unbeaten champion
GM Karthikeyan Murali won his first rating tournament of the year which had an average rating of 2554. We all know that he is very strong. This tournament triumph and that also while remaining undefeated only reasserts that notion.
Rodshtein - Karthikeyan, Round 5
GM Karthikeyan Murali (2618) navigated through the complex rook and few pawns endgame against GM Maxim Rodshtein (ISR, 2606) in the fifth round. 31.Ra5 Rc2 32.Rxa7?? b5 -+ and Black had no trouble converting his decisive advantage into a full point. The counter-intuitive 31.Kg2 allowing Black to capture White's pawns was a better practical choice than 31.Ra5. It would have given him some fighting chances.
The ten player round-robin tournament featured 6 GMs and 4 IMs from seven countries across the world. The tournament was organized by Echiquier du Roy Rene from 7th to 13th August 2023 at Espace Polyvalent Arbois Duranne in Aix en Provence, France. The nine-round tournament had a time control of 90 minutes + 30 seconds increment from move no.1.
Final standings
