Armenian is World Junior Champ

Russian player Nikita Vitiugov had held the lead for several days. But his half point advantage over the rest of the field was never enough. In the crucial penultimate round, the Russian stumbled against local player IM Zaven Andriasian. This allowed Zaven to hit 9 points and finding himself in a must-win situation against GM Levan Pantsulaia in the final round.



Pantsulaia, a Russian, and Vitiugov both on 8.5 points going into the final game themselves had chances to grab the title. However, after a long tournament, it seems that all players were very tired and quick draws were agreed. Thus, Zaven Andriasian becomes champ on 9.5 points overall!

The Australian boys had a tough time in their final encounters. After 2 wins in a row, Nick Chernih lost his 13th game against FM Sylvain Gregoire while compatriot Tomek Rej was taken out by Armenia's Yuri Hambartsumian. On the distaff side, WFM Shannon Oliver ended her run on a high with a draw and a win in her last 2 games.

John-Paul Gomez, RP's only bet in the tournament, succumbed to strong opposition. Gomez faced back-to-back matches against international masters losing to Ildar Khairullin of Russia in the 12th round then to England's David Howell in the thirteenth. The Filipino finished his campaign with 7 points and also goes home with an IM norm in the bag.



Final Scores
Tomek Rej 5.5
Nick Chernih 4.5
Shannon Oliver 6
John-Paul Gomez 7

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