Arsen Davtyan Wins Tsaghkadzor Open 2026 on Tiebreak

Armenian IM Arsen Davtyan won the Tsaghkadzor Open 2026 on tiebreak, level on 7.5 points from 9 games with Valery Sviridov.

The Tsaghkadzor Open 2026 has finished in Armenia, and IM Arsen Davtyan is the winner.

The tournament was a 9-round Swiss with 90 minutes per player plus 30 seconds per move. Davtyan, who is still under 20, was the top seed and lived up to his rating.

He finished with 7.5 points from 9 games. In the final round he drew with CM Dmitriy Petukhov in a Sicilian Defense.

Valery Sviridov also finished on 7.5 points, so the title was decided on tiebreak, and Davtyan came out on top. Sviridov had a chance to win outright in the final round, but he lost to IM Erik Gasparyan.

That win lifted Gasparyan, another young Armenian player, to third place with 7 points. FM Volodya Torosyan, who plays in the under-16 category, finished fourth with 6.5 points after winning his last game, a very impressive result for a young player.

Tsaghkadzor is a mountain town in Armenia that has hosted many chess events. Armenia is one of the strongest chess countries in the world for its size, and chess is taught in schools there.

The final round shows how quickly things can change at the end of a tournament. A player who goes into the last round in the lead still needs to play well, because the players just behind are ready to take their chance.

For young players, Davtyan, Gasparyan and Torosyan are great examples. Hard work and regular tournament practice can help you compete with adults and win strong events while you are still young.

Congratulations to Arsen Davtyan on winning the Tsaghkadzor Open 2026.