GM Ray Robson outplayed GM Jeffery Xiong right out of the opening of their Round 4 match to win and seize the solo leadership of the 2021 US Men’s Chess Championship now ongoing in St. Louis, Missouri.
Robson’s win, fashioned after only 28 moves of a Sicilian Rossolimo, was one of three decisive games produced during the round. GM Aleksander Lenderman also defeated GM Daniel Naroditsky in 74 moves of a Queen’s Pawn Game, while GM Leinier Dominguez Perez subdued GM Sam Shankland in 55 moves of a London System.
The rest of the Round 4 matches were drawn. GMs John Burke and Lazaro Bruzon Batista halve the point after 51 moves of a Ruy Lopez Berlin; GMs Wesley So and Fabiano Caruana drew in 26 moves of a Nimzo-Indian; while GMs Samuel Sevian and Dariusz Swiercz played a protracted Queen’s Gambit Declined that was drawn after 110 moves.
Standings after Round 4: 1. Robson, 3; 2-6. Caruana, Dominguez Perez, Lenderman, So, Sevian, 2½; 7-8. Bruzon Batista, Burke, 2; 9-10. Shankland, Swierz, 1½; 11. Naroditsky, 1; 12. Xiong, ½.
Burke,JM (2554)-Bruzon Batista,L (2645) [C65]
Saint Louis (4) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 0-0 6.0-0 d6 7.Nbd2 a6 8.Ba4 Ba7 9.h3 Ne7 10.d4 Ng6 11.Bc2 Re8 12.Re1 Bd7 13.Nf1 c5 14.dxc5 dxc5 15.Bg5 Be6 16.Ng3 Qxd1 17.Rexd1 Kf8 18.Nf5 c4 19.Rd2 Red8 20.Nd6 Rdb8 21.Rad1 Ne8 22.Nf5 f6 23.Be3 b5 24.h4 Bxe3 25.Nxe3 Nh8 26.Nh2 Nf7 27.Nhf1 Rd8 28.Nd5 Bxd5 29.Rxd5 Rxd5 30.Rxd5 Nc7 31.Rd7 Ne6 32.Ne3 Ke8 33.Rd1 Rd8 34.Nd5 Nd6 35.a4 Rd7 36.axb5 axb5 37.Ra1 Kf7 38.f3 Nf4 39.Ne3 Nc8 40.Ra5 Rd2 41.Rxb5 Re2 42.Rb7+ Kg6 43.Nf5 Rxg2+ 44.Kh1 Rxc2 45.Rxg7+ Kh5 46.Rxh7+ Kg6 47.Rg7+ Kh5 48.Rh7+ Kg6 49.Rg7+ Kh5 50.Rh7+ Kg6 51.Rg7+ Kh5 ½-½
Robson,R (2669)-Xiong,J (2700) [B30]
Saint Louis (4) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e5 4.0-0 Bd6 5.c3 a6 6.Ba4 b5 7.Bc2 Nge7 8.a4 b4 9.Re1 Ng6 10.d4 bxc3 11.dxe5 cxb2 12.Bxb2 Bxe5 13.Nxe5 Ngxe5 14.Bxe5 Nxe5 15.Qd5 Nc6 16.Qxc5 Qe7 17.Qxe7+ Kxe7 18.Nc3 Nb4 19.Nd5+ Nxd5 20.exd5+ Kd8 21.d6 a5 22.Bd3 Rb8 23.Rab1 Rb7 24.Rec1 Rb4 25.Rxb4 axb4 26.a5 Bb7 27.a6 Ba8 28.a7 1-0
So,W (2778)-Caruana,F (2800) [E32]
Saint Louis (4) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 d6 7.Nf3 Re8 8.b4 a5 9.Bb2 axb4 10.axb4 Rxa1+ 11.Bxa1 b5 12.cxb5 Nbd7 13.e3 Nb6 14.Bd3 Bb7 15.0-0 Bxf3 16.gxf3 Nfd5 17.Qb3 Qh4 18.Kg2 e5 19.dxe5 Re6 20.exd6 Qg5+ 21.Kh1 Qh5 22.Qb2 Qxf3+ 23.Kg1 Qg4+ 24.Kh1 Qf3+ 25.Kg1 Qg4+ 26.Kh1 Qf3+ ½-½
Shankland,S (2714)-Dominguez Perez,L (2760) [D02]
Saint Louis (4) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.Nf3 Nf6 3.Bf4 e6 4.e3 c5 5.c3 Bd6 6.Bb5+ Nc6 7.Bxc6+ bxc6 8.Bxd6 Qxd6 9.Qa4 0-0 10.Nbd2 cxd4 11.cxd4 c5 12.0-0 Qa6 13.Qxa6 Bxa6 14.Rfc1 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Rab8 16.b3 Rfc8 17.N2f3 Kf8 18.Ne5 Ke8 19.f4 Ne4 20.a4 Rxc1+ 21.Rxc1 Rc8 22.Rxc8+ Bxc8 23.b4 f6 24.Nec6 a6 25.Na7 Bd7 26.b5 axb5 27.axb5 Ke7 28.b6 Nc5 29.Nac6+ Bxc6 30.Nxc6+ Kd6 31.Nd4 g6 32.Kf2 e5 33.fxe5+ fxe5 34.Nf3 Nd7 35.Ng5 h5 36.Nf7+ Ke7 37.Ng5 Nxb6 38.e4 d4 39.Ke2 Nd7 40.Kd3 Nc5+ 41.Kc4 Ne6 42.Nf3 Kd6 43.g3 g5 44.h4 g4 45.Nd2 Nc5 46.Kb5 Nd3 47.Kc4 Nf2 48.Kb4 Kd7 49.Kc4 Nh1 50.Nf1 Kc6 51.Kb4 Kb6 52.Kc4 Ka5 53.Kd5 Nxg3 54.Nd2 Kb4 55.Nc4 Kc3 0-1
Naroditsky,D (2623)-Lenderman,A (2607) [D04]
Saint Louis (4) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 d5 3.e3 c5 4.Nbd2 cxd4 5.exd4 Qc7 6.Bd3 Nc6 7.c3 Bg4 8.Qa4 Bd7 9.Qc2 Rc8 10.a3 Bg4 11.Qa4 e6 12.Ne5 Bh5 13.Nf1 Bd6 14.f4 Bg6 15.Be2 Be4 16.Ne3 0-0 17.0-0 Nd7 18.Qd1 f6 19.Nxd7 Qxd7 20.Bd3 Bxd3 21.Qxd3 f5 22.Bd2 Ne7 23.b3 Rcd8 24.Rad1 Bc7 25.Be1 Ng6 26.Bg3 Bd6 27.Rf3 Qc7 28.Rdf1 h5 29.h3 h4 30.Bh2 Bxa3 31.b4 Rc8 32.Nd1 a5 33.bxa5 Qxa5 34.Re3 Rf6 35.Rfe1 Rc6 36.Kh1 Bf8 37.g3 hxg3 38.Rxg3 Ne7 39.Reg1 Nc8 40.Qf3 Nd6 41.Qh5 Qd8 42.R3g2 Qe7 43.Bg3 Qf7 44.Qf3 Rh6 45.h4 Be7 46.Be1 Bf6 47.Nb2 Qh5 48.Qh3 Ne4 49.Nd3 Rc7 50.Ne5 Bxh4 51.Rh2 Bxe1 52.Qxh5 Rxh5 53.Rxh5 Ng3+ 54.Rxg3 Bxg3 55.Ng6 Kf7 56.Ne5+ Kf6 57.Rg5 Bxf4 58.Rg6+ Ke7 59.Rxg7+ Kd6 60.Nf7+ Kc6 61.Nd8+ Kb5 62.Rg6 e5 63.dxe5 Bxe5 64.Rg5 Bf6 65.Rxf5 Bxd8 66.Rxd5+ Kc4 67.Rxd8 Kxc3 68.Rd5 Rg7 69.Rh5 Kb4 70.Rh4+ Ka5 71.Rh2 b5 72.Ra2+ Kb4 73.Rb2+ Kc4 74.Rc2+ Kb3 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Nc3!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…cxd6 2.Qxd6#; 1…Qxe3 2.Rd3#; 1…Qb7+ 2.Rdb6#.
