No one has ever won all three 3 0 Thursday blitz tournaments on the same day, but GM Arjun Erigaisi nearly changed that on May 14, finishing just short on tiebreaks from a perfect hat-trick of victories. Arjun dominated the first tournament, winning by a full point. He was then the clear winner in the second tournament by a half-point margin. In the third event, he lost games against GM Jose Martinez and IM Yoseph Theolifus Taher. All three of them finished with nine points, with Martinez taking first on tiebreaks.
IM Karina Ambartsumova was the highest scoring woman in the first and third tournaments, extending her record number of victories to 17 total. WFM Anastasiia Hnatyshyn was the top woman in the 2nd tournament, scoring her fifth such victory.
First Tournament: Arjun Escapes With Victory
After missing a win against Arjun later in the day, IM Eric Rosen told his viewers, “To beat a GM like this you have to beat them like seven times. They’re like cockroaches. Stomping on them once doesn’t do anything.” Arjun demonstrated that ability repeatedly in the first tournament, escaping losing positions in several rounds. His fourth round battle with IM Reza Mahdavi was one example.
Arjun won his first six games before finally dropping a point to GM Dmitry Andreikin in round seven, but fortune smiled on Arjun again after that, as he turned around a worse position against GM Oleksandr Bortnyk in round eight, and then GM Sergey Zhigalko hung a rook against him in round nine. After IM Renato Terry missed a tactic against him in round 10, Arjun could claim victory by defeating GM Denis Lazavik in the last round. It was an intense struggle that came down to the final tenth of a second on the clock.
That victory brough Arjun to ten points, a point ahead of Terry in second place, who edged out GM Tuan Minh Le on tiebreaks for second place.
Second Tournament: Arjun Wins Again
Arjun returned in the second event, although he had a somewhat more difficult fight for first place this time. He started well, winning his first four games, including this sharp struggle against GM Liem Le in round three.
In round five, Lazavik took revenge for his defeat earlier in the day by turning around a lost ending in a time scramble. In the following round, GM Vladimir Fedoseev also defeated Arjun in a rook endgame. However, that was the end of Arjun’s troubles. He won his next four games to get within half a point of Le in first place. In the final round, GM Matthias Bluebaum took advantage of a blunder from Le, opening a path for Arjun to win the tournament if he could defeat Bortnyk… which he did.
That victory put Arjun in first place with nine points, followed by GM Nihal Sarin and Bluebaum with 8.5 each.
Third Tournament: Arjun Falls Just Short, Martinez Extends Record
In the final event of the day, Arjun aimed for the first ever Thursday sweep. He won his first three games and had great chances against Martinez in the fourth round, but after several swings in the closing seconds, Martinez emerged victorious.
Martinez continued playing well, winning his first six games, while Arjun lost another game to Taher. However, Martinez missed winning chances between rounds seven and ten, drawing all four games. Heading into the final round, Taher led Martinez and Arjun by a half point. each.
In the final round, Taher drew with IM Khuong Duy Dau in just 26 moves, allowing his rivals a chance to catch up. Both players took advantage, as Arjun defeated Terry, while Martinez won the following game against Bortnyk.
When the dust settled, Martinez edged Taher and Arjun on tiebreaks after each of them scored nine points. Martinez’s victory earned him his 13th 3 0 Thursday title, breaking a tie with Terry for the most of anyone.
3 0 Thursday is a set of three weekly Swiss tournaments for verified titled players featuring their favorite time control. Each of the three tournaments is an 11-round Swiss with a 3+0 time control. The combined prize fund is $3,000 every week.
