Filipino GM Wesley So became the first to advance to the semifinals of the ongoing 2020 Speed Chess Championship after thrashing Poland’s top player GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda, 16-10, in their quarterfinal match at the chess.com server over the weekend.
The 27-year-old Wesley, now playing for the USA, dominated the three-minute portion of the match –winning eight and losing none, to erect a comfortable lead going into the final 1+1 segment of their quarterfinal clash. While Duda narrowly won this segment, it was not enough to overhaul Wesley’s lead. Wesley’s win is a repeat of their 2019 Speed Chess Championship quarterfinal encounter. Now, the Cavite-born native will wait for the winner of the Hikaru Nakamura-Vladimir Fedoseev quarterfinal duel whom he will face in the semifinal.
Duda, J-K (2743)-So, Wesley (2770) [C42]
chess.com (2.12) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Nxe5 d6 4.Nf3 Nxe4 5.d4 d5 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.0-0 Be7 8.Nbd2 Nxd2 9.Bxd2 Bg4 10.c3 0-0 11.h3 Bh5 12.g3 a6 13.Kg2 Bg6 14.Bxg6 fxg6 15.Bf4 Bd6 16.Bxd6 Qxd6 17.Qd3 Rae8 18.Rae1 h6 19.h4 Qf6 20.Re3 Rxe3 21.fxe3 Qe6 22.b3 Ne7 23.c4 Nf5 24.Ne5 dxc4 25.bxc4 c5 26.Qe4 b5 27.Rf4 bxc4 28.d5 Qe8 29.Nxc4 Qa4 30.h5 Re8 31.Qd3 Qxa2+ 32.Kh3 Qa1 33.Rf1 Qa4 34.hxg6 Ne7 35.d6 Qd7+ 36.Kh2 Nc8 37.Qd5+ Kh8 38.Qf7 1-0
Duda, Jan-Krzysztof (2743)-So, Wesley (2770) [C50]
chess.com (2.14) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 0-0 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 g5 8.Bg3 d6 9.c3 a6 10.Bb3 Ba7 11.Nbd2 Kg7 12.Re1 Ng8 13.Nf1 f5 14.exf5 Bxf5 15.Ne3 Bxe3 16.fxe3 Nf6 17.e4 Bg4 18.h3 Bh5 19.Rf1 Qe7 20.Qd2 Bg6 21.Rae1 Nh5 22.Bh2 Nf4 23.Kh1 Rf6 24.Rf2 Raf8 25.Ref1 Nd8 26.Ng1 Nde6 27.Bc2 c5 28.g3 Nh5 29.Kg2 c4 30.dxc4 Nc5 31.Qe3 Rxf2+ 32.Rxf2 Rxf2+ 33.Kxf2 Qf7+ 34.Nf3 Qxc4 35.b3 Nxe4+ 36.Bxe4 Qxe4 37.Qxe4 Bxe4 38.Nd2 Bd5 39.h4 g4 40.c4 Bc6 41.Nf1 Nf6 42.Ke1 Kg6 43.Bg1 Ne4 44.Bb6 h5 45.Ke2 Kf5 46.Kd3 Ke6 47.Kc2 d5 48.cxd5+ Kxd5 49.Ba5 Nd6 50.Ne3+ Ke4 51.Bb4 Nb5 52.Nc4 Nd4+ 53.Kd1 Kf3 54.Bd6 e4 55.Nd2+ Kg2 56.Bf4 Nf5 0-1
Duda, J-K (2743)-So, Wesley (2770) [C50]
chess.com (2.18) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 h6 6.c3 d6 7.Nbd2 0-0 8.Re1 a6 9.a4 a5 10.h3 Be6 11.b3 d5 12.exd5 Nxd5 13.Ne4 Bb6 14.Bd2 f5 15.Ng3 Qd6 16.Nf1 Rae8 17.Bb5 Bd7 18.Ne3 Bxe3 19.fxe3 e4 20.dxe4 fxe4 21.Nh2 Bxh3 22.Bxc6 bxc6 23.Qe2 Be6 24.Red1 Qe5 25.Rac1 Nf6 26.c4 Qg5 27.b4 axb4 28.Bxb4 c5 29.Bd2 Bg4 30.Nxg4 Nxg4 31.Rf1 Qh4 32.g3 Qxg3+ 33.Qg2 Qh4 34.Rxf8+ Rxf8 35.Rf1 Rxf1+ 36.Kxf1 Qf6+ 37.Ke2 Qe6 38.Ke1 h5 39.Qh3 Qf5 40.Qh4 Ne5 41.Qd8+ Kh7 42.Kd1 Nxc4 43.a5 Qf1+ 44.Kc2 Qe2 45.Kc3 Nxd2 46.Qxd2 Qb5 47.Qa2 Qa6 48.Qa4 g6 0-1
So, Wesley (2770)-Duda, J-K (2743) [E38]
chess.com (2.21) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 c5 5.dxc5 Na6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.Qxc3 Nxc5 8.b4 Nce4 9.Qc2 d5 10.f3 Nd6 11.c5 Nf5 12.e3 e5 13.Bb5+ Kf8 14.Ne2 a5 15.Rb1 axb4 16.axb4 d4 17.e4 Nh4 18.0-0 h6 19.f4 Ng6 20.h3 Kg8 21.Bc4 Be6 22.Bd3 Ra2 23.Rb2 Ra3 24.f5 Nf8 25.fxe6 Nxe6 26.Ra2 Rxa2 27.Qxa2 Kh7 28.Bd2 Re8 29.Ng3 g6 30.Bc4 Kg7 31.Qa7 Qe7 32.Bxe6 Qxe6 33.Qxb7 Qa2 34.Bxh6+ 1-0
Duda, J-K (2743)-So, Wesley (2770) [E48]
chess.com (2.22) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.a3 Bd6 8.Nge2 Re8 9.Qc2 a6 10.h3 b6 11.b4 Nbd7 12.0-0 c5 13.bxc5 bxc5 14.Rb1 c4 15.Bf5 g6 16.Bxd7 Bxd7 17.g4 Nxg4 18.hxg4 Qh4 19.Ng3 Bxg4 20.Rb6 Bf3 0-1
So, Wesley (2770)-Duda, J-K (2743) [D78]
chess.com (2.25) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.g3 c6 4.Bg2 d5 5.Nf3 Bg7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Ne5 Ng4 8.cxd5 Nxe5 9.dxe5 cxd5 10.Bxd5 Bxe5 11.Nc3 Qb6 12.Bh6 Bg7 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Rc1 Rd8 15.Na4 Qb4 16.a3 Qg4 17.f3 Qd7 18.Qd4+ f6 19.Rfd1 e6 20.Nc5 Qf7 21.Nxe6+ Bxe6 22.Bxe6 Rxd4 23.Bxf7 Rxd1+ 24.Rxd1 Kxf7 25.Rd8 a5 26.h4 h5 27.g4 a4 28.Kf2 Ke7 29.Rg8 Kf7 30.Rh8 b5 31.e4 Kg7 32.Rc8 Kf7 33.g5 fxg5 34.hxg5 Ke7 35.f4 Kd7 36.Rg8 Kc7 37.f5 gxf5 38.exf5 Ra6 39.f6 Nd7 40.f7 Rd6 41.g6 Rf6+ 42.Kg3 Kd6 43.Kh4 Rf5 44.Re8 Rf4+ 45.Kxh5 Rf2 46.Kh6 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qe4!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Rc8/b8/a8/e8/f8/d7 2.R(x)d7#; 1…Bf7, Kxe7 2.S(x)f7#; 1…Be6 2.Rxe6#; 1…Bd5 2.Qb4#; 1…Bc4 2.Sxc4#./PN
