Esipenko wins Qatar Masters after draw with Erigaisi

Russian GM Andrey Esipenko on Thursday managed a draw against top seed Arjun Erigaisi of India to win the Qatar Masters title for the first time. The 22-year-old finished with 7.5 points after the ninth and final round of the FIDE tournament in which Erigaisi managed a tally of 7 points. This was the fourth edition of the tournament.
Hosted by Qatar Chess Association (QCA), the Qatar Masters attracted more than 300 players from around the world including 110 from India. The 10-day tournament was staged at Aspire Zone Hall.
Esipenko got richer by $25,000 for his efforts that included six wins and three draws. Erigaisi, 21, picked up $15,000 as runners-up. “I feel incredibly fortunate to have won here in Qatar,” a delighted Esipenko said. “I’m grateful for all the support I’ve received and I’ll strive to maintain this high level of play in the coming tournaments that I take part in,” he added.
Erigaisi expressed his disappointment at falling short of the title. “I was hoping to win, especially as the top seed,” Erigaisi said on Thursday. “I tried to break the tie in the crucial fifth move, but it wasn’t meant to be,” he added.
Erigaisi’s second-place finish meant Fabiano Caruana still leads the FIDE Circuit going into the World Rapid & Blitz in New York at the end of the year.
If Erigaisi had won in Qatar (without a tie) then he would have surpassed Caruana on the FIDE circuit, with the leader becoming the first player to qualify for the next Candidates that will take place in 2026. Erigaisi, who recently joined the exclusive 2800+ Elo rating club, praised the tournament’s organisation. “The tournament was exceptionally well-organised,” he said, thanking QCA ‘for their efforts’.
Also on Thursday, Nodirbek Abdusattorov of Uzbekistan beat Indian GM Leon Luke Mendonca to end tournament with 7 points. Mendonca wrapped up the tournament with 6 points after the 9th round on Thursday. Armenian GM Shant Sargsyan, Indian GM Murali Karthikeyan and UAE’s GM Saleh Salem all finished with 6.5 points each.
Karthikeyan beat Shamsiddin Vokhidov of Uzbekistan in Thursday’s final round.
President of QCA Mohamed al-Mudahka thanked Abdulghani Nasser al-Abdulghani, CEO of Abdulghani Motors, and Sabah Rabia al-Kuwari, Director of Public Relations, Social Responsibility and Sponsorships at Ooredoo, ‘for their great efforts in supporting the event’ as the official sponsor of the tournament.
“During 10 days, the games that took place were not without excitement and many of the top ranked players were eliminated from the race for the title in the penultimate round. I believe the tournament fulfilled its top billing,” al-Mudahka said.
After the prize distribution ceremony, al-Mudahka congratulated Episenko for his Qatar Masters title victory. The QCA president also applauded the performances of Erigaisi and Abdusattorov, saying they entertained chess lovers in Qatar.

Esipenko’s path to glory
Yash Bharadia - won - 1 point
Adham Fawzy - won - 1
Surya Shekhar Ganguly - won - 1
Arkadij Naiditsch - draw - 1/2
Bardiya Daneshvar - draw - 1/2
Rithvik Raja - won - 1
A. R. Saleh Salem - won - 1
Shant Sargsyan - won - 1
Arjun Erigaisi - draw - 1/2