 In 2012, by winning the semi-finals in Astana, he qualified for the World Rapid Chess Championship final.In the same year he tied for 1st–3rd with Sergei Movsesian and Romain Edouard in the Biel Masters Open winning the tournament on countback.In May 2013 he won the Nakhchivan Open on tiebreak over Aleksandr Shimanov and Gadir Guseinov.