The first stage in the race to determine the remaining two players to complete the cast of the 2022 Candidates Tournament started in earnest February 4th in Berlin, Germany. The 2022 FIDE Grand Prix first stage sees 16 of the players divided into pools of four with the players in each pool doing a double round-robin mini-tournament with each pool winner advancing to the next stage. There are a total of 24 players, with each playing in two out of three tournaments.
After two rounds in Berlin, the following are leading the way: Hikaru Nakamura in Pool A; Radoslaw Wojtaszek in Pool B; Levon Aronian in Pool C; and Leinier Dominguez Perez in Pool D. The 2nd leg of the Grand Prix will be in Belgrade February 28th to March 14th, and the 3rd leg returns to Berlin March 21 to April 4. Wesley So is currently playing in Pool D at Berlin, trailing Dominguez Perez by half-a-point after two draws. Here the decisive games in the 1st leg so far:
Nakamura,H (2736)-Esipenko,A (2714) [A29]
Berlin (2.2) 2022
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Bc5 7.0-0 0-0 8.Qc2 Nf6 9.a3 Nd4 10.Nxd4 exd4 11.b4 Bb6 12.Na4 Re8 13.Nxb6 axb6 14.e3 d3 15.Qc3 Ne4 16.Qc4 Bf5 17.Bb2 Qd7 18.Bxe4 Bxe4 19.f3 Bc6 20.Rac1 Re7 21.Qf4 f6 22.Rc4 Rd8 23.Rfc1 Qe6 24.b5 Bxb5 25.Re4 Qf7 26.Rxe7 Qxe7 27.Rxc7 Rd7 28.Rc8+ Rd8 29.Bxf6 gxf6 30.Qg4+ Kf8 31.Rxd8+ Qxd8 32.Qb4+ Qe7 33.Qxb5 Qxa3 34.Kf2 Qc5 35.Qxd3 b5 36.Qc3 Qe7 37.Ke2 Kg7 38.Qd4 Qf7 39.Qg4+ Kh8 40.Qb4 Qe8 41.Qd6 Qf7 42.Qc5 Qe8 43.g4 Kg7 44.h4 Qd7 45.h5 Kg8 46.h6 1-0
Fedoseev,V (2704)-Oparin,G (2681) [E06]
Berlin (1.1) 2022
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 d5 4.Bg2 Be7 5.Nf3 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qc2 b5 8.a4 Bb7 9.axb5 a6 10.Nc3 axb5 11.Rxa8 Bxa8 12.Nxb5 Bd5 13.Rd1 c5 14.dxc5 Qa5 15.Nfd4 Bxc5 16.Bxd5 exd5 17.b3 Rc8 18.bxc4 Bxd4 19.Nxd4 Rxc4 20.Qb1 Nbd7 21.Bb2 Qb4 22.Nf5 h5 23.Ne3 Re4 24.Qa1 h4 25.Bd4 h3 26.f3 Re8 27.Kf2 Qe7 28.Qc3 Qe6 29.Rc1 Qe7 30.Rc2 Rb8 31.Qa1 Re8 32.Qc3 Qd6 33.Qd3 Qb4 34.Qd2 Qb1 35.Rc1 Qg6 36.Qc2 Qh6 37.Qf5 Nf8 38.Rc2 N6d7 39.Qxd5 Qg6 40.Rc1 Qa6 41.Ra1 Qg6 42.Rd1 Qa6 43.Qf5 Qa4 44.Qg4 f6 45.Ra1 Qb5 46.Ra7 Ne6 47.Nf5 Ng5 48.Be3 1-0
Wojtaszek,R (2686)-Rapport,R (2763) [A40]
Berlin (1.2) 2022
1.d4 e6 2.c4 Bb4+ 3.Bd2 a5 4.Nf3 Nf6 5.g3 d5 6.Bg2 dxc4 7.Qc2 c5 8.a3 Bxd2+ 9.Nbxd2 cxd4 10.Nxc4 0-0 11.Qd3 Nc6 12.0-0 Ra6 13.Rfd1 b5 14.Nce5 Bb7 15.Nxc6 Bxc6 16.Qxd4 Qa8 17.Rac1 h6 18.Bf1 Bd5 19.Ne5 Qb8 20.f3 Rd6 21.Qc5 Ra6 22.Qc7 Bc4 23.Qxb8 Rxb8 24.e4 Rab6 25.Rd2 g5 26.g4 Kg7 27.Bxc4 bxc4 28.Nxc4 Rb3 29.Kf2 a4 30.Rcc2 h5 31.h3 hxg4 32.hxg4 Rh8 33.Ne5 Rb5 34.Nd3 Rh2+ 35.Kf1 Rxd2 36.Rxd2 Nd7 37.Ke2 Kf6 38.Rc2 Rb8 39.Rc4 Ne5 40.Rb4 Rxb4 41.Nxb4 Nc4 42.Nd3 Ke7 43.Kd1 Kd6 44.Kc2 Kc6 45.Kc3 Kb5 46.Kd4 f6 47.e5 f5 48.gxf5 exf5 49.e6 g4 50.e7 Nd6 51.Kd5 Ne8 52.f4 g3 53.Ne1 Ng7 54.Ng2 Kb6 55.Kd6 Kb5 56.Ne3 Kb6 57.Kd7 Kc5 58.e8Q 1-0
Rapport,R (2763)-Fedoseev,V (2704) [E32]
Berlin (2.2) 2022
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 0-0 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.Qxc3 b6 7.Bg5 Bb7 8.Nh3 h6 9.Bh4 d6 10.f3 Nbd7 11.e4 c5 12.Nf2 Re8 13.dxc5 Nxc5 14.Bxf6 Qxf6 15.Qxf6 gxf6 16.b4 Nb3 17.Rd1 a5 18.Rxd6 axb4 19.axb4 Ra1+ 20.Rd1 Rea8 21.Be2 Nc1 22.Ng4 R8a2 23.Nxf6+ Kf8 24.Kf2 Rxe2+ 25.Kg3 Rc2 26.Kh4 Kg7 27.Nh5+ Kg6 28.Rd8 Ra8 29.Rhd1 Rxc4 30.Rxa8 Bxa8 31.Rd8 Bxe4 32.g4 Kh7 33.fxe4 e5 34.Nf6+ Kg6 35.Rd6 Ne2 36.Ng8+ Kg7 37.Nxh6 Rxe4 38.Nf5+ Kh7 39.Rh6+ Kg8 40.Rxb6 Nf4 41.Kg5 f6+ 42.Kh6 Re2 43.h4 Kf7 44.b5 Rb2 45.Rb8 Nd5 46.h5 e4 47.Nd6+ Ke7 48.Nxe4 Rb4 49.b6 f5 50.gxf5 Rxe4 51.b7 Nf6 52.Rd8 1-0
Aronian,L (2772)-Vidit,SG (2727) [E48]
Berlin (1.1) 2022
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.a3 Bd6 8.Qc2 c6 9.Nge2 Re8 10.Bd2 b6 11.0-0 Ba6 12.Kh1 c5 13.Rad1 g6 14.Qb1 Bb7 15.Nf4 Nbd7 16.f3 Nf8 17.b4 cxd4 18.exd4 Bxf4 19.Bxf4 Nh5 20.Be5 f6 21.Bg3 Nxg3+ 22.hxg3 Qc7 23.Ne2 Re3 24.Qa2 Rae8 25.Qd2 Qd6 26.Rc1 R3e7 27.Bb5 Rc8 28.Rxc8 Bxc8 29.Qf4 Qxf4 30.Nxf4 Bb7 31.Kg1 Kf7 32.Kf2 Ne6 33.Rh1 h5 34.Bd3 Nxf4 35.gxf4 Rc7 36.f5 g5 37.Rxh5 Kg7 38.Rh1 Rc3 39.Ke2 Bc6 40.Ra1 Bd7 41.Kd2 Rc8 42.b5 Rh8 43.g4 Rc8 44.a4 Kf8 45.a5 Ke7 46.axb6 axb6 47.Ra7 Rb8 48.Ke3 Kd6 49.f4 Re8+ 50.Kf3 gxf4 51.Kxf4 Bxb5 52.Bxb5 Re4+ 53.Kf3 Rf4+ 54.Ke3 Re4+ 55.Kf2 Rf4+ 56.Ke1 Rxd4 57.Ra4 Rxa4 58.Bxa4 Ke5 59.Kd2 Kf4 60.Bd1 d4 61.Kd3 Ke5 62.Kc4 Ke4 63.Bc2+ Ke3 64.Bb1 1-0
Shirov,A (2704)-Dominguez Perez,L (2752) [B23]
Berlin (2.1) 2022
1.e4 c5 2.Nc3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Qxd4 Nc6 5.Qd2 g6 6.b3 Bh6 7.f4 Nf6 8.Bb2 0-0 9.0-0-0 e5 10.g3 Re8 11.Kb1 Nd4 12.Bg2 Bg4 13.Rf1 d5 14.h3 Be6 15.g4 Nxe4 16.Nxe4 dxe4 17.Bxe4 Rc8 18.Qd3 Qa5 19.f5 Bd5 20.Rh2 Bxe4 21.Qxe4 Nb5 22.Qxb7 Nd6 23.Qf3 e4 24.Qd1 Nb5 25.c4 Nc3+ 26.Bxc3 Qxc3 27.Rc2 Qe5 28.Qd5 Qf6 29.a3 Bg7 30.Ka2 Rcd8 31.Qa5 Rd3 32.Ne2 Rb8 33.b4 Rbd8 34.b5 e3 35.Rfc1 Rd2 36.Kb3 R8d3+ 37.Rc3 Qd6 38.Qxa7 Rxe2 0-1
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Bd6!, and Blackâs futile options are: 1…Ke4 2.Qa8#; 1…Kc4 2.Qxf7#; 1…Kc6 2.Bg2#; 1…Ke6 2.Nf4#.
