The 17-yeat old teenage Uzbekistan sensation GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov defeated GM Ian Nepomniachtchi of Russia, 1½-½, in their title playoff match to win the 2021 World Rapid Championship which concluded December 29th in Warsaw, Poland.
The two had tied with defending champion Magnus Carlsen and Fabiano Caruana with 9½ points apiece at the close of the 13-round Swiss event. Having the highest of tiebreak scores, Abdusattorov and Nepomniachtchi disputed the title via a 2-game blitz match per regulations.
Carlsen complained the tiebreak rules as “unfair” in an impromptu interview with the Norwegian press. He said, “ I just don’t think this is fair. It has to be changed. It’s just too amateurish in a world championship.”
The victory was worth $60,000 for Abdusattorov, while Nepomniachtchi pocketed $50,000. Carlsen was richer by $40,000 and Caruana took home $30,000.
Nepomniachtchi,I (2782)-Abdusattorov,N (2633) [C80]
Warsaw (tb/1) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Nxe4 6.d4 b5 7.Bb3 d5 8.dxe5 Be6 9.Nbd2 Nc5 10.c3 Be7 11.Bc2 d4 12.Nb3 dxc3 13.Nxc5 Bxc5 14.Be4 Qd7 15.Bg5 h6 16.Qc2 hxg5 17.Rad1 Nb4 18.Qxc3 Bxf2+ 19.Kxf2 Nd5 20.Qc5 c6 21.Nxg5 Rh5 22.Nf3 Qa7 23.Rc1 Ne7 24.b3 Bd5 25.Bxd5 cxd5 26.h4 Rh6 27.Qxa7 Rxa7 28.g4 Rd7 29.Rfe1 d4 30.h5 Rc6 31.Rxc6 Nxc6 32.e6 Rd6 33.exf7+ Kxf7 34.Ng5+ Kf8 35.Re6 Rxe6 36.Nxe6+ Kf7 37.Nc7 Kf6 38.Nxa6 Kg5 39.Nc7 Kxg4 40.Nxb5 Kxh5 41.Nd6 Kg4 42.a3 Kf4 43.b4 Ke5 44.Nc4+ Kd5 45.Nb6+ Ke4 46.b5 Na5 47.Nd7 d3 48.Nc5+ Kd4 49.Nxd3 Kxd3 50.Kf3 Kd4 51.Kf4 Nc4 52.Kf5 Kc5 53.Kg6 Nxa3 54.Kxg7 Nxb5 ½-½
Abdusattorov,N (2633)-Nepomniachtchi,I (2782) [A28]
Warsaw (tb/2) 2021
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nc3 e5 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e4 Bb4 5.d3 d6 6.h3 a5 7.Be2 Bc5 8.0-0 h6 9.Be3 Bxe3 10.fxe3 0-0 11.Qe1 Ne7 12.Nh4 Ng6 13.Nf5 c6 14.Qg3 Bxf5 15.Rxf5 Nh7 16.Raf1 Qh4 17.Kh2 Qxg3+ 18.Kxg3 Ne7 19.R5f2 Ng5 20.h4 Ne6 21.Bg4 Nc7 22.Na4 f6 23.d4 Rfd8 24.Rd2 b5 25.cxb5 Nxb5 26.Rc1 Rab8 27.Nc3 Kf7 28.h5 Nxc3 29.Rxc3 Rb5 30.Be2 Rb6 31.Bc4+ d5 32.dxe5 fxe5 33.exd5 cxd5 34.e4 Kf6 35.Bxd5 Nxd5 36.exd5 Kg5 37.Re3 Kxh5 38.Rxe5+ Kg6 39.d6 a4 40.d7 Kf7 41.Rf2+ Kg6 42.Re7 Rd6 43.Rff7 Rd3+ 44.Kf4 Rb8 45.Rxg7+ Kh5 46.Kf5 Rxb2 47.Rg8 Rbd2 48.Re1 Rd5+ 49.Kf6 Rd6+ 50.Kf5 R6d5+ 51.Kf4 R5d4+ 52.Kg3 R2d3+ 53.Kh2 Rd5 54.d8Q Rxd8 55.Re5+ Kh4 56.g3+ 1-0
Meanwhile, in the women’s division, former world women’s chess champion GM Alexandra Kosteniuk of Russia stamped her class in the 103-player field, to become the 2021 World Women’s Rapid Champion. The 37-yeat old Kosteniuk started the 11-round event like a house on fire, winning six straight games before coasting to an undefeated 7-win, 4-draw record. IM Bibisara Assaubayeva of Kazakhstan took 2nd place half-a-point behind Kosteniuk, while GM Vlantina Gunina and GM Kateryna Lagno wound up in 3rd and 4th places, respectively.
Kosteniuk,A (2516)-Shuvalova,P (2516) [C50]
Warsaw (4.1) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.a4 h6 6.a5 a6 7.c3 d6 8.0-0 0-0 9.Re1 Ba7 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Rxe3 Re8 12.Qb3 Qe7 13.Nbd2 Rb8 14.d4 Bd7 15.h3 g6 16.Bf1 Kg7 17.Qc4 Rbc8 18.b4 Qf8 19.Qb3 g5 20.b5 axb5 21.Bxb5 Ra8 22.Nc4 exd4 23.cxd4 Ra7 24.d5 Ne7 25.Nd4 c6 26.Ba4 cxd5 27.Bxd7 dxc4 28.Qc3 Rd8 29.Bb5 d5 30.f3 dxe4 31.fxe4 Kg8 32.Bxc4 Qg7 33.Rf1 Rc8 34.Ne6 Qh8 35.Nc7 Rxc7 36.Bxf7+ Kxf7 37.Qxc7 Ke6 38.Qc4+ Kd7 39.Qd4+ Ke6 40.Qxa7 1-0
Kosteniuk,A (2516)-Muzychuk,M (2539) [B40]
Warsaw (8.1) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.e5 d4 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 Qc7 7.Qe2 d3 8.Qe4 Nge7 9.0-0 Ng6 10.Re1 Bd7 11.h4 h5 12.Na3 0-0-0 13.Nb5 Qb8 14.Qxd3 a6 15.Nd6+ Bxd6 16.exd6 Be8 17.Qe2 Qxd6 18.d4 cxd4 19.cxd4 Kb8 20.Be3 Nb4 21.Ne5 Nxe5 22.dxe5 Qc7 23.Rac1 Bc6 24.Bc5 Nd5 25.Bd6 Rxd6 26.exd6 Qxd6 27.Qe5 Qxe5 28.Rxe5 g6 29.a3 Rd8 30.Ree1 Rd7 31.Bf1 Kc7 32.Rc2 Kd6 33.Rec1 Ne7 34.b4 Ke5 35.Rc5+ Kf6 36.b5 axb5 37.Bxb5 Bxb5 38.Rxb5 Nd5 39.Kg2 b6 40.Rb3 Ra7 41.Rc4 Ra5 42.Kf3 Kf5 43.Ke2 Ra7 44.Kd2 Ke5 45.Kc2 f6 46.Kb2 g5 47.Rb5 Kf5 48.Kb3 Rd7 49.Rc6 gxh4 50.gxh4 Rb7 51.a4 Rg7 52.Rcxb6 Rg1 53.a5 Kg4 54.Rxe6 Rb1+ 55.Kc4 1-0
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Rc7!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Qh3 2.Qxd5# and 1…Qf3 2.Qh8#.
