Emin Ohanyan Wins Atyrau Open 2026 on Tiebreak

Armenian GM Emin Ohanyan won the Atyrau Open 2026 Masters in Kazakhstan on tiebreak, level on 7 points with China's IM Jiang Haochen.

The Atyrau Open 2026 has finished in Kazakhstan, and Armenian GM Emin Ohanyan is the winner of the Masters section.

The Atyrau Open was the third stage of the Kazakhstan Chess Cup 2026. It was a 9-round Swiss with 90 minutes per player plus 30 seconds per move, played from 12 to 20 October.

Ohanyan finished on 7 points from 9 games. He drew his last game against GM Ivan Zemlyanskii in a Najdorf Sicilian, which was enough to keep him in first place.

China's IM Jiang Haochen also scored 7 points after winning his final game against GM Sergei Lobanov. The two players were level on points, so the title was decided by tiebreak, and Ohanyan came out on top. Jiang's result is still a big success, as he finished ahead of many grandmasters.

Three players finished on 6.5 points: Georgia's GM Baadur Jobava, GM Ivan Zemlyanskii and Kazakhstan's GM Aldiyar Ansat.

Tiebreaks are used when players finish on the same score. Different events use different systems, but most of them reward players who scored their points against stronger opponents. That is one reason why every game matters, even the ones in the early rounds.

Congratulations to Emin Ohanyan on his victory, and well done to Jiang Haochen on a superb tournament.