OUR weekend break prevented us from reporting on the semi-final stage of the just-concluded Opera Euro Rapid Tournament – the third event of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour – which, as we reported earlier, was won by Wesley So over world chess champion Magnus Carlsen. So, let’s look back.
Like the final, the semi-finals between Wesley and Teimour Radjabov and between Carlsen and Maxime-Vachier Lagrave were dramatic. Wesley, of course, had the easier task of defeating Radjabov in two straight sets, 2½-1½ and 2-1 while Carlsen had to go to the wringer to dispose Vachier-Lagrave, after the latter tied the match. Carlsen won the first set, 3-1, and Vachier-Lagrave the second by a similar 3-1 tally. The duo then swapped wins in the blitz tie-break before Carlsen won the Armageddon. Here are some of the more memorable semifinal games:
So, Wesley (2770)-Radjabov, T (2765) [B30]
chess24.com (2.11) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0-0 Nge7 5.Re1 a6 6.Bxc6 Nxc6 7.d4 cxd4 8.Nxd4 d6 9.c4 Be7 10.Nc3 0-0 11.Nxc6 bxc6 12.Bf4 e5 13.Bg3 Be6 14.b3 f6 15.Re3 Qb6 16.Qe2 Rfd8 17.Rd1 Rd7 18.h3 Rad8 19.Red3 Bf8 20.Kh2 Qb7 21.f4 Kh8 22.f5 Bf7 23.Qf3 h6 24.Bf2 Qb4 25.Be1 Qb8 26.Kh1 Qb7 27.g4 a5 28.h4 Be7 29.Bf2 Kg8 30.Be3 a4 31.g5 axb3 32.axb3 hxg5 33.hxg5 fxg5 34.Qg4 Bf6 35.Bxg5 Kf8 36.Rh3 Ke7 37.Rh7 Qxb3 38.Bxf6+ gxf6 39.Rxf7+ Kxf7 40.Qg6+ Kf8 41.Qxf6+ Ke8 42.Qh8+ Kf7 43.Qh5+ Kf8 44.Rg1 Rf7 45.f6 Rxf6 46.Qh7 1-0
So, Wesley (2770)-Radjabov, T (2765) [B31]
chess24.com (2.13) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.0-0 Bg7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 0-0 7.d4 d5 8.e5 Ne4 9.Bxc6 bxc6 10.Be3 cxd4 11.cxd4 Qb6 12.Qc1 a5 13.Nc3 Nxc3 14.Qxc3 Bf5 15.b3 Rfb8 16.Nd2 h5 17.h3 Rc8 18.Rac1 Bf8 19.a3 Rab8 20.Qb2 Qd8 21.Rc3 Qd7 22.Rec1 f6 23.Rc5 Rb5 24.a4 Rxc5 25.Rxc5 Bxh3 26.gxh3 Qxh3 27.Nf1 fxe5 28.dxe5 Bg7 29.Qd4 Qe6 30.Rxa5 Bxe5 31.Qh4 Rf8 32.Ra7 Bd6 33.b4 Rf3 34.Ra8+ Kf7 35.Bh6 Qe2 36.Rf8+ Ke6 37.Rxf3 Qxf3 38.Be3 Kd7 39.a5 Kc8 40.Bc5 Bf4 41.Qxe7 Qg4+ 42.Ng3 Bxg3 43.fxg3 Qxg3+ 44.Kf1 Qd3+ 45.Kf2 Qd2+ 46.Kf3 Qd1+ 47.Kf4 Qg4+ 48.Ke5 Qe4+ 49.Kf6 Qxe7+ 50.Kxe7 h4 51.Kd6 h3 52.Bg1 d4 53.Kxc6 d3 54.a6 Kb8 55.b5 d2 56.a7+ Ka8 57.b6 1-0
Radjabov, T (2765)-So, Wesley (2770) [E20]
chess24.com (2.23) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.f3 c5 5.d5 0-0 6.e4 b5 7.Nh3 bxc4 8.Bxc4 Nxd5 9.Bxd5 exd5 10.Qxd5 Nc6 11.Be3 Ba6 12.Nf4 Qh4+ 13.g3 Qf6 14.Kf2 Bxc3 15.bxc3 Rab8 16.Rad1 Ne5 17.Bxc5 Rb2+ 18.Rd2 Nd3+ 19.Qxd3 Bxd3 20.Rxb2 Qxc3 21.Nxd3 Qxd3 22.Be3 f5 23.Rd2 Qb5 24.e5 Qxe5 25.Rhd1 a6 26.Rxd7 Re8 27.R7d3 f4 28.Bxf4 Qe2+ 29.Kg1 Qxa2 30.R3d2 Qb3 31.Kg2 h6 32.Rd8 Rxd8 33.Rxd8+ Kf7 34.Rd7+ Ke8 35.Rd2 a5 36.Re2+ Kf7 37.h4 a4 38.Be5 a3 39.Re4 a2 40.Re2 Qb5 41.Re1 Qxe5 42.Rxe5 a1Q 43.Re4 Qb2+ 44.Kg1 Qd2 45.Rf4+ Ke6 46.Re4+ Kd5 47.Re8 Kc4 48.Re4+ Kd3 49.Re8 Qc1+ 50.Kg2 Qc2+ 51.Kg1 Qb1+ 52.Kg2 Qa2+ 0-1
Carlsen, M (2862)-Vachier-Lagrave, M (2784) [D85]
chess24.com (2.11) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 Bg7 6.e4 Nb6 7.Be3 0-0 8.h3 e5 9.Nf3 exd4 10.Bxd4 Nc6 11.Bxg7 Qxd1+ 12.Rxd1 Kxg7 13.Bb5 Nb4 14.a3 a6 15.Be2 Nc6 16.Nd4 Nxd4 17.Rxd4 Be6 18.0-0 Rfd8 19.Rfd1 Rxd4 20.Rxd4 Kf6 21.f4 Ke7 22.Kf2 Rd8 23.Ke3 Rxd4 24.Kxd4 f6 25.h4 Nd7 26.b4 h6 27.a4 g5 28.g3 gxf4 29.gxf4 Nb8 30.Nd5+ Bxd5 31.exd5 b6 32.h5 a5 33.bxa5 bxa5 34.Kc5 f5 35.Bb5 Kd8 36.Kd4 1-0
Vachier-Lagrave, M (2784)-Carlsen, M (2862) [B30]
chess24.com (2.32) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.0-0 Nge7 5.Re1 Nd4 6.Nxd4 cxd4 7.c3 a6 8.Bf1 Nc6 9.b4 Be7 10.a4 0-0 11.Na3 dxc3 12.dxc3 Bf6 13.b5 axb5 14.Nxb5 d5 15.Ba3 Be7 16.exd5 exd5 17.Bxe7 Nxe7 18.Qd4 Nc6 19.Qf4 Be6 20.Rab1 d4 21.Nc7 Rxa4 22.Nxe6 fxe6 23.Qg4 Qf6 24.f3 Qf5 25.Qxf5 exf5 26.Rxb7 dxc3 27.Bb5 Nd8 28.Rc7 Rb4 29.Ree7 Kh8 30.Bd3 Rd4 31.Bxf5 Rd2 32.h4 Rd4 33.Be4 Rg8 34.h5 h6 35.Rxc3 Rd6 36.Rc8 Ne6 37.Rxg8+ Kxg8 38.Rxe6 Rxe6 39.Bd5 Kf7 40.Kf2 Kf6 41.Bxe6 Kxe6 42.Ke3 Ke5 43.g4 Kd5 44.Kf4 Ke6 45.Ke4 Kf6 46.Kd5 Kf7 47.Kd6 Kf6 48.f4 Kf7 49.Ke5 Ke7 50.f5 Kf7 51.f6 1-0
Carlsen, M (2862)-Vachier-Lagrave, M (2784) [D85]
chess24.com (2.33) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 Nxd5 5.Bd2 Bg7 6.e4 Nb6 7.Be3 0-0 8.a4 a5 9.h3 Nc6 10.Nf3 f5 11.exf5 Bxf5 12.Be2 Nb4 13.Rc1 c6 14.0-0 N6d5 15.Bd2 Qd6 16.Re1 Kh8 17.Nxd5 Nxd5 18.Bc4 Nb4 19.Qb3 Rad8 20.Bg5 Bf6 21.Bh6 Bg7 22.Qe3 Rde8 23.Bf4 Nd5 24.Bxd5 Qxd5 25.Rc5 Qd8 26.Be5 Bc8 27.Qh6 Rf6 28.Bxf6 exf6 29.Rxe8+ Qxe8 30.Qe3 Qd8 31.Qe1 Bf8 32.Ra5 Bd7 33.Ra7 Qb8 34.Qa5 Kg7 35.Ra8 Qf4 36.Qd8 Qc1 37.Kh2 Qf4 38.Kh1 Qd6 39.Qb8 Qb4 40.Ra7 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Rb3!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Rxd5+ 2.Qxd5#; 1…Be1 2.Sfe3#; 1…Bd4 2.Sb6#; 1…Rxf1+ 2.Qxf1#; 1…Rg3 2.Sd2#./PN
