By A.E. Boy Espejo Jr.
Eight of Russia’s top grandmasters are playing in the Play for Russia blitz tournament which started Tuesday, May 12, on the lichess.org chess server.
The players are: Ian Nepomniachtchi, Alexander Grischuk, Vladimir Kramnik (2753), Sergey Karjakin (2752), Peter Svidler (2723), Evgeny Tomashevsky (2706), Ernesto Inarkiev (2661), and Alexander Riazantsev (2638).
The competition is a double round robin Category 19 (average Elo: 2724) event with a five minutes + two seconds increment format. It was organized as a charity tournament where the cash prize pool will be distributed among hospitals and doctors fighting the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic in Russia.
So far, a total of ₽24,182,000 Russian rubles have been collected (roughly US$328391.56).
After seven rounds of play, Grischuk – still undefeated – leads half-a-point ahead of Kramnik, who came out of retirement to play.
The standings after Round 7: 1. Grischuk, 5½; 2. Kramnik, 5; 3, Tomashevsky, 4; 4-6. Karjakin, Svidler, Nepomniachtchi, 3; 7. Inarkiev, 2½; 8. Riazantsev, 2.
Grischuk, A (2777)-Svidler, P (2723) [A07]
lichess.org (1.4) 2020
1.g3 d5 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.0-0 e5 5.d3 Ne7 6.e4 Nbc6 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Re1 0-0 9.Nc3 Nde7 10.Rb1 a5 11.b3 Re8 12.Bb2 Nf5 13.Nb5 a4 14.d4 e4 15.Ne5 axb3 16.axb3 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Bd7 18.Nc3 Bxe5 19.Nxe4 Bxb2 20.Rxb2 Bc6 21.Qxd8 Rexd8 22.Nf6+ Kg7 23.Bxc6 bxc6 24.Ne4 Re8 25.Kf1 Nd4 26.c3 Nf3 27.Ree2 g5 28.h3 h5 29.Re3 g4 30.hxg4 hxg4 31.Ke2 Ra1 32.Rxf3 gxf3+ 33.Kxf3 Re1 34.Nc5 R8e5 35.Nd3 Rf5+ 36.Kg4 Rd1 37.Kxf5 Rxd3 38.c4 c5 39.Ke4 Rd4+ 40.Ke3 Kf6 41.Rd2 Rg4 42.Rd5 1-0
Kramnik, V (2753)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [A36]
lichess.org (2.4) 2020
1.c4 c5 2.g3 g6 3.Bg2 Bg7 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.e3 e6 6.b3 Nge7 7.Ba3 b6 8.Nge2 0-0 9.0-0 Bb7 10.d4 d6 11.Qd2 Na5 12.d5 exd5 13.cxd5 Ba6 14.Bb2 Bxe2 15.Nxe2 Nf5 16.e4 Bxb2 17.Qxb2 Ng7 18.Rad1 Qe7 19.Rfe1 Rfe8 20.f4 Rad8 21.Nc3 Qf6 22.e5 dxe5 23.Ne4 Qf5 24.fxe5 Rxe5 25.Rf1 Qxe4 26.Bxe4 Rxe4 27.Qf6 Rd7 28.Rde1 Ne8 29.Qf3 Rxe1 30.Rxe1 Nd6 31.Qf6 Nab7 32.h4 h5 33.g4 hxg4 34.h5 Kh7 35.Kg2 Nf5 36.hxg6+ fxg6 37.Rh1+ Kg8 38.Rh8# 1-0
Kramnik, V (2753)-Grischuk, A (2777) [A10]
lichess.org (4.3) 2020
1.c4 g6 2.Nc3 Bg7 3.g3 e5 4.Bg2 d6 5.d3 f5 6.e3 Nf6 7.Nge2 a5 8.b3 0-0 9.Bb2 c6 10.Qd2 Na6 11.f4 Bd7 12.0-0 Re8 13.e4 Nc5 14.Rae1 Qb6 15.Kh1 a4 16.fxe5 dxe5 17.exf5 Bxf5 18.d4 Nce4 19.Nxe4 Nxe4 20.Qd1 a3 21.Ba1 exd4 22.Bxd4 Bxd4 23.Qxd4 Qxd4 24.Nxd4 Nc3 25.Nxf5 gxf5 26.Rxe8+ Rxe8 27.Bf3 Rd8 28.Rf2 Kg7 29.Kg2 Kg6 30.Rc2 Rd3 31.b4 Kf6 32.b5 cxb5 33.cxb5 b6 34.Bc6 Ke5 35.Kh3 f4 36.Kg4 h5+ 37.Kh4 fxg3 38.hxg3 Kd4 39.Rf2 Re3 40.Bd7 Re5 41.Rf6 Nxa2 42.Rxb6 Nb4 43.Rd6+ Rd5 44.Rxd5+ Nxd5 45.b6 Nxb6 46.Be6 Nd5 0-1
Tomashevsky, E (2706)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [A35]
lichess.org (6.3) 2020
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.Nc3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 g6 7.0-0 Bg7 8.d3 Nc7 9.Be3 b6 10.Rc1 0-0 11.Qa4 Bd7 12.Qh4 e5 13.Qxd8 Raxd8 14.a3 Ne6 15.Rb1 Rfe8 16.b4 Ncd4 17.Rfc1 cxb4 18.axb4 Rc8 19.Bxd4 exd4 20.Nd5 Kf8 21.Nd2 Rxc1+ 22.Rxc1 Rc8 23.Ra1 Rc2 24.Nc4 Rxe2 25.Bf3 Rc2 26.Rxa7 Bc6 27.h4 Bh6 28.Nd6 Nd8 29.Be4 Bd2 30.b5 Bxd5 31.Bxd5 Be1 32.Nxf7 Nxf7 33.Rxf7+ Ke8 34.Rf4 Bb4 35.Bc4 Bc5 36.Kg2 Re2 37.Rf7 Re7 38.Rf6 Re5 39.Rc6 Re7 40.Rc8+ Kd7 41.Rh8 Rg7 42.Bg8 h5 43.Rh7 Bf8 44.Rxg7+ Bxg7 45.Bf7 g5 46.hxg5 1-0
Karjakin, S (2752)-Grischuk, A (2777) [B90]
lichess.org (7.4) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e6 7.a4 b6 8.Be2 Bb7 9.f3 Nbd7 10.0-0 Be7 11.Qe1 Qc7 12.Qg3 0-0 13.Rad1 Rae8 14.Kh1 Rc8 15.Bg5 Rfe8 16.f4 Nc5 17.Bd3 Nfxe4 18.Bxe4 Nxe4 19.Nxe4 Bxe4 20.Bxe7 Qxe7 21.c3 f5 22.Nf3 h6 23.Qf2 b5 24.axb5 axb5 25.Nd2 d5 26.Qd4 b4 27.cxb4 Rb8 28.b3 Rxb4 29.Qf2 Qf6 30.Rc1 Qd4 31.Rc7 Qxf2 32.Rxf2 Kf8 33.Rf1 Re7 34.Rc8+ Kf7 35.Ra1 Rbb7 36.Rac1 Ra7 37.Kg1 Ra2 38.Rd1 Rea7 39.Kf2 Bc2 40.Rc1 Bxb3 41.R1c7+ Rxc7 42.Rxc7+ Kf6 43.Ke3 d4+ 44.Kd3 Bd5 45.g3 g5 46.Rh7 Kg6 47.Rh8 g4 48.Rg8+ Kf7 49.Rh8 Kg7 50.Rb8 h5 51.Rb1 h4 52.gxh4 Kf6 53.h5 Ra3+ 54.Kxd4 Rh3 55.Nf1 Rf3 56.Ne3 Rxf4+ 57.Kc5 Rf2 58.Rb6 Be4 59.h6 Rxh2 60.Kd4 Rd2+ 61.Kc4 Rh2 62.Kd4 Bf3 63.Rb8 Rxh6 64.Rf8+ Ke7 65.Rc8 Kf6 66.Rf8+ Kg5 67.Ke5 g3 68.Rg8+ Rg6 69.Rc8 g2 70.Rc1 f4 71.Nc2 Kg4 72.Nd4 Bd5 73.Nc2 Kg3 74.Nd4 f3 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qd2!. Black’s futile options are: 1…Sc8 2.dxc8=Q/R#; 1…Kxc5 2.Qd5#; 1…Re6/f6/g6/h6 2.d8=S, Qd5#; 1…Rd5 2. d8=S, exd5, Qxd5#; 1…Rd4/d3/xd2, Rxc5, Bf4/xd2/e7 2.d8=S#./PN
