Mark Bluvshtein and Anton Kovalyov storming through the competition
The Quebec Invitational Championship takes place from June 19th to 27th in Auberge Universel, Montreal. The tournament has an international taste this year with the inclusion of four Grandmasters from different countries. The 10-player round robin competition will serve as a qualifier for the Montreal International Chess tournament to be held later in August. The best four will play in the Montreal International, while the best placed local player will be crowned Quebec Chess Champion. Time control is 40/90 + 30 min + 30 sec incr.
Two top seeded players, GM Mark Bluvshtein and young GM Anton Kovalyov, are leading with perfect score after four rounds. Third is one of the well known Quebec players, the ultra-solid FM Sylvain Barbeau. Other top rated participants, including Grandmasters Sambuev and Bhat, are having difficult time in the tournament and are contained to 50% score.
Round 4 results:
Vinay Bhat 0-1 Bator Sambuev
François Léveillé 1-0 Renier Castellanos
Ling Feng Ye 0-1 Mark Bluvshtein
Lefong Hua 0-1 Anton Kovalyov
Thomas Roussel-Roozmon ½-½ Sylvain Barbeau
Round 4 standings:
1-2. GM Mark Bluvshtein (2558 Canada) and Anton Kovalyov (2556 Argentina) – 4.0
3. FM Sylvain Barbeau (2357 Canada) – 2.5
4-6. GM Bator Sambuev (2498 Russia), GM Vinay Bhat (2475 India) and IM Thomas Roussel-Roozmon (2479 Canada) – 2.0
7. FM Lefong Hua (2283 Canada) – 1.5
8. FM François Léveillé (2261 Canada) – 1.0
9-10. IM Renier Castellanos (2446 Spain) and NM Ling Feng Ye (2179 Canada) – 0.5
Round 5 pairings:
Sylvain Barbeau - Vinay Bhat
Anton Kovalyov - Thomas Roussel-Roozmon
Mark Bluvshtein - Lefong Hua
Renier Castellanos - Ling Feng Ye
Bator Sambuev - François Léveillé
