By A.E. Boy Espejo Jr.
We continue were we left off last night in the Magnus Carlsen Invitational.
Let’s look at the standings after Day 1 of Round 6: 1. Carlsen, 13; 2-3. Nakamura, Ding, 11; 4. Caruana, 10; 5-6. Nepomniachtch, Firouzja, 6; 7. Vachier-Lagrave, 5; 8. Giri, 4;
Carlsen, M (2863)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [B54]
chess24.com (6.1) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Bc4 Nxe4 6.Qh5 e6 7.Nxe6 Bxe6 8.Bxe6 Qe7 9.Bxf7+ Qxf7 10.Qe2 Qe7 11.0-0 Nf6 12.Be3 Nc6 13.Nc3 d5 14.Qf3 0-0-0 15.Rfe1 Qd7 16.Nb5 a6 17.a4 Qg4 18.Qxg4+ Nxg4 19.Bb6 axb5 20.axb5 Nb8 21.Bxd8 Kxd8 22.h3 Nf6 23.Ra7 Kc7 24.Re6 Bc5 25.b6+ Bxb6 26.Re7+ Kd6 27.Raxb7 Nbd7 28.Rxg7 Kc6 0-1
Carlsen, M (2863)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [A45]
chess24.com (6.3) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.Bf4 c5 3.d5 d6 4.Nc3 a6 5.a4 e5 6.Bd2 e4 7.h3 h5 8.Bf4 Bf5 9.e3 Nbd7 10.a5 h4 11.Nge2 Ne5 12.Nc1 Nfd7 13.Nb3 Bg6 14.Nd2 f5 15.f3 exf3 16.gxf3 Bh5 17.Rg1 Nf7 18.Be2 Qf6 19.Nc4 g6 20.Bh2 Nde5 21.Nb6 Rd8 22.f4 Nd7 23.Bxh5 Rxh5 24.Nc4 Bg7 25.Qd3 Kf8 26.0-0-0 Re8 27.Rg2 Kg8 28.e4 fxe4 29.Nxe4 Qe7 30.Re1 Kh8 31.Rxg6 Nf6 32.Qc3 Rh7 33.Qf3 Nxd5 34.f5 Nf6 35.Bxd6 Qd8 36.Kb1 Rxe4 37.Rxe4 Nxd6 38.Nxd6 Qxd6 39.Re6 Qf8 40.Qxb7 Ng8 41.Qe4 Qf7 42.Re8 Rh6 43.Rxh6+ Bxh6 44.Qe6 Kg7 45.Qxf7+ Kxf7 46.Re6 Bd2 47.Rxa6 Ne7 48.c3 c4 49.f6 Ng6 50.Rc6 Ne5 51.Rc7+ Kxf6 52.a6 Be3 53.a7 Bxa7 54.Rxa7 Kg5 55.Rg7+ Kf4 56.Ka2 1-0
Carlsen, M (2863)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [A48]
chess24.com (6.5) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.Nbd2 0-0 5.c3 d6 6.h3 c5 7.dxc5 dxc5 8.e4 Nc6 9.Be2 b6 10.0-0 Bb7 11.Re1 Qd7 12.Qc2 Rad8 13.Rad1 Qc8 14.e5 Nd5 15.Bg3 Nc7 16.Qa4 Ne6 17.Qh4 Ba6 18.Bxa6 Qxa6 19.Qe4 Qb7 20.Nc4 Rxd1 21.Rxd1 Rd8 22.Rxd8+ Ncxd8 23.Qxb7 Nxb7 24.a4 Kf8 25.Kf1 Ke8 26.Ke2 Kd7 27.Kd3 Nbd8 28.Ng1 Nc6 29.Ke4 h5 30.f4 f5+ 31.exf6 exf6 32.f5 Ng5+ 33.Kd3 gxf5 34.Ne3 Ne7 35.Ne2 Ne6 36.Kc4 Kc6 37.b4 cxb4 38.cxb4 Bh6 39.b5+ Kd7 40.Nd5 Nxd5 41.Kxd5 f4 42.Bf2 Bf8 43.Nd4 Nc5 44.Nc6 Nxa4 45.Nxa7 Nc3+ 46.Kc4 Nd1 47.Bxb6 Ne3+ 48.Bxe3 fxe3 49.Kd3 Bc5 50.Nc6 Kd6 51.Na5 Ke5 52.Ke2 Kf4 53.Nc4 Kg3 54.Nxe3 h4 55.Kd3 Ba7 56.Ke4 f5+ 57.Nxf5+ Kxg2 58.Nxh4+ Kxh3 59.Nf5 Kg4 60.Ne7 Kg5 61.Ke5 Kh6 62.Ke6 Kg7 63.Nc8 Bf2 64.Nd6 Kf8 65.Kd7 Bg1 66.Ne4 Kf7 67.Kc6 Ke7 68.Nc5 Kd8 69.b6 Bh2 70.b7 Bb8 71.Na6 Bf4 72.Nc5 Bb8 73.Ne6+ Ke7 74.Nc7 Kd8 75.Nd5 Bg3 76.Nf6 Bh2 77.Ne4 Bb8 78.Nc5 Bh2 79.Ne6+ 1-0
Firouzja, A (2728)-Giri, A (2764) [E51]
chess24.com (6.1) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.e3 0-0 6.Bd2 b6 7.cxd5 exd5 8.Rc1 Bb7 9.Nb5 Bxd2+ 10.Nxd2 c6 11.Nc3 Re8 12.Be2 Ba6 13.0-0 Bxe2 14.Nxe2 Qd6 15.Qa4 a5 16.Rc3 Ra7 17.Rfc1 Rc7 18.Ng3 Rec8 19.Nf3 Nbd7 20.Ne1 g6 21.Nd3 h5 22.f3 h4 23.Nf1 Kg7 24.a3 h3 25.g4 c5 26.Nf4 Rh8 27.Ng3 Nf8 28.dxc5 bxc5 29.Qxa5 N8d7 30.g5 Nh7 31.Nxh3 Rb7 32.b4 cxb4 33.axb4 Rxb4 34.f4 Nhf8 35.Nf2 Ne6 36.Rc6 Qe7 37.Qxd5 Nef8 38.Qd3 Rh4 39.Nfe4 Kh7 40.Rc7 Qe6 41.Nf2 Rb3 42.R7c3 Rb2 43.Nge4 Rb6 44.Kg2 Rh5 45.Kg3 Qf5 46.Ng4 Kg8 47.Nef6+ Nxf6 48.Qxf5 gxf5 49.Nxf6+ Rxf6 50.gxf6 Kh7 51.Rc8 Ne6 52.Rd1 Kg6 53.Rd5 Kxf6 54.e4 Ng7 55.e5+ Kg6 56.Rg8 Kh7 57.Rdd8 1-0
Giri, A (2764)-Firouzja, A (2728) [B12]
chess24.com (6.2) 2020
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.Nf3 e6 5.Be2 Ne7 6.c3 h6 7.0-0 Nd7 8.Nbd2 a5 9.a4 g5 10.Ne1 Qc7 11.Bh5 c5 12.f4 cxd4 13.cxd4 Nc6 14.Ndf3 gxf4 15.Bxf4 Be7 16.Kh1 0-0-0 17.Bxf7 Rdf8 18.Bh5 Kb8 19.Rc1 Qb6 20.Qd2 Qb3 21.Bxh6 Rc8 22.Ng1 Bb4 23.Qf4 Qxb2 24.Nef3 Nb6 25.h3 Nxa4 26.Bg4 Bxg4 27.hxg4 Rcf8 28.Qe3 Nxd4 29.Nxd4 Rxf1 30.Rxf1 Bd2 31.Rf8+ Rxf8 32.Qxd2 Rh8 33.Nh3 Qa1+ 34.Kh2 Nc5 35.g5 Ne4 36.Qe3 Rg8 37.Nf4 a4 38.Nc6+ Kc7 39.Nd4 a3 40.Nb5+ Kc6 41.Nxa3 Qxe5 42.Nc2 Kd7 43.Nd4 Re8 44.g3 Qc7 45.Qb3 Nd6 46.Nh5 Ra8 47.Nf6+ Kc8 48.Qe3 Ra2+ 49.Kh3 Qf7 50.Nxe6 Nf5 51.Qc5+ Kb8 52.Qxd5 Rf2 53.Nd7+ Kc8 54.Nb6+ Kb8 55.Qd8 1-0
Firouzja, A (2728)-Giri, A (2764) [D85]
chess24.com (6.3) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.e4 Nxc3 6.bxc3 Bg7 7.Be3 c5 8.Rc1 0-0 9.Qd2 e5 10.d5 Qd6 11.f3 f5 12.Qc2 Nd7 13.Nh3 f4 14.Bd2 Nb6 15.Nf2 c4 16.Be2 Bd7 17.0-0 Qc7 18.Rb1 Nc8 19.a4 Rf6 20.Rb4 Nd6 21.Rfb1 g5 22.Qa2 Rc8 23.a5 h5 24.h3 Rg6 25.Kf1 Bf6 26.Bd1 Bd8 27.Ra1 Rb8 28.Be1 b5 29.axb6 axb6 30.Qb1 Qb7 31.Rb2 b5 32.Rba2 Bb6 33.Ra6 Kf7 34.R1a2 Rgg8 35.Qa1 Qc7 36.Be2 Bc8 37.Ra8 Rxa8 38.Rxa8 Qc5 39.Qa3 Bd7 40.Qxc5 Bxc5 41.Ra6 Ke7 42.Nd1 Rb8 43.Bf2 Bxf2 44.Kxf2 g4 45.h4 b4 46.cxb4 Rxb4 47.Ke1 g3 48.Ra8 Bc8 49.Kd2 Rb6 50.Kc2 Rb7 51.Nb2 Rc7 52.Ra4 Bd7 53.Rb4 Ra7 54.Nxc4 Nxc4 55.Bxc4 Ra1 56.Rb6 Rg1 57.Rh6 Rxg2+ 58.Kc3 Rf2 59.d6+ Kf8 60.Rg6 Rxf3+ 61.Kb4 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Ra6!. Black’s futile options are: 1…Bf7 2.Qxd7#; 1…c5, Rd6 2.Qd8#; 1…Re6 2.Sdxf5#; 1…Rf7, Sh8/e5/xf4/h4 2.Sg8#; 1…Rf8 2.g8=S#; 1…Sf8 2.g8=S, Sg8#../PN
