You don't have to pronounce it, just check it out. Black Belt contributor (and US Champion) Hikaru Nakamura is playing in a powerful invitational in Armenia Oct 1-11. (Official site) The rest of the field: Ivanchuk, Aronian, Sokolov, Dreev, Bologan, Asrian, Bu Xiangzhi, Anastasian, Macieja. That's a big category 17 (2667 avg.) at the same time as the FIDE WCh!?
Hikaru drew in the first round with Asrian, who escaped with a miracle draw. Ivanchuk apparently spaced out and lost on time in a bishop endgame despite a 30-second increment. Thinking about ways to win such things will earn you losses, but this was extreme.
Isn't this the same tournament that merited a DD entry "I hope somebody can tell me what went on with this tournament in Karabakh" a long time ago (something about GM Jobava having played in the tournament and being punished by the chess federation in his country?)
One and the same, says the search.
http://www.chessninja.com/dailydirt/archives/georgia_on_my_mind.htm
Not the best of tournaments for Naka so far: two draws and a loss against lower-rated players. On the other hand Ivanchuk has recovered nicely today with a win over Aronian.
So is Stepanakert in Armenia today ? I always thought that the Nagorno Karabakh was officially (ie as fas as the UN is concerned, all but Armenia of course) part of Azerbaidjan, military occupied by Armenia in 1993 ("minorities under persecution" argument, again), asked by the UN to leave the land (4 resolutions: 822, 853, 874 and 884), Armenia which withdrew its army only to put in place a so-called friendly nation (recognized by no-one but Armenia)
But Mig knows better, probably.
http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/or/13508.htm
Certainly not Armenia, but definetely a de-facto independent Armenian-populated enclave. Officially, though, a part of Azerbaidjan. The Azeri population fled during the war.
Nakamura beat Bologan today to pull up to an even score.
Nice game.
[Event "Karabakh 2005"]
[Site "Stepanakert, ARM"]
[Date "2005.10.05"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Nakamura H (USA)"]
[Black "Bologan V (MDA)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[Board "1"]
[ECO "A28"]
[WhiteElo "2662"]
[BlackElo "2682"]
1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. a3 g6 5. g3 Bg7 6. d3 d6 7. Bg2 O-O 8. Bg5 h6
9. Bxf6 Bxf6 10. O-O Ne7 11. Nd2 c6 12. Rc1 Bg7 13. b4 a6 14. a4 a5 15. b5 Be6
16. Nb3 f5 17. e3 Kh8 18. Qe2 Bg8 19. d4 exd4 20. Nxd4 Qb6 21. Rfd1 Qc5 22. Qd2
g5 23. Nce2 Rfd8 24. Rb1 Ra7 25. Rdc1 Rc8 26. Qd3 Qe5 27. Qd2 Bf7 28. Nb3 Rca8
29. Ned4 Be8 30. b6 Ra6 31. c5 Rb8 32. Nf3 Qf6 33. cxd6 Nd5 34. d7 Bf7 35. Nc5
Rxb6 36. Rxb6 Nxb6 37. Nxb7 Nxd7 38. Qxd7 Qb2 39. Qxf7 Qxc1+ 40. Bf1 Qd1 41.
Qc7 Rxb7 42. Qc8+ Kh7 43. Qxf5+ Kg8 44. Qc8+ Bf8 45. Qxb7 Qxf3 46. Qb3+ Kh7 47.
Bd3+ Kg7 48. Qc3+ 1-0