THE finals of the Aimchess US Rapid Tournament being played at the chess24.com server started over the weekend with world champion Magnus Carlsen and Vladislav Artemiev battling it out for top honors and the $60,000 champion’s purse.
Carlsen wasted no time in putting Artemiev to the sword in the first set, winning the first two games. Artemiev struck back in the third game and was aiming to level the count until Carlsen’s defense enabled him to draw the fourth and last game to win the first set, 2½-1½.set. Now, all the world champion – who is already assured of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour overall title after building an unassailable lead – has to do is draw the second set to win the match. Carlsen has 291 overall Tour points, and the closest pursuer is Wesley So with 257 points. Wesley was knocked out in the quarterfinals and so has no more resources to improve his overall standing.
Artemiev snagged his finals seat by narrowly defeating Aliresa Firouzja in the semifinals, while Carlsen beat Aronian. The Aimchess US Rapid Tournament is the last event for the 2021 Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, and a 2022 Tour schedule to begin February next year has already been announced.
Artemiev, V (2704)-
Carlsen, M (2847) [A15]
chess24.com (3.11) 2021
1.c4 Nf6 2.Nf3 c5 3.Nc3 e6 4.e3 d5 5.d4 a6 6.cxd5 exd5 7.g3 c4 8.Bg2 Bb4 9.Bd2 0-0 10.Ne5 Nc6 11.0-0 Re8 12.Nxc6 bxc6 13.b3 a5 14.bxc4 Ba6 15.Qc2 Bxc4 16.Rfb1 Bxc3 17.Bxc3 Ne4 18.Be1 h5 19.Qd1 h4 20.g4 a4 21.a3 Bb3 22.Qe2 Re6 23.Rc1 Qg5 24.f4 Qe7 25.Bb4 Qc7 26.f5 Ree8 27.Qe1 Qd8 28.Rxc6 h3 29.Bxh3 Qg5 30.Qe2 Rac8 31.Rac1 Bc4 32.Rxc8 Bxe2 33.Rxe8+ Kh7 34.Bd2 Bxg4 35.Bg2 Bf3 0-1
Carlsen, M (2847)-
Artemiev, V (2704) [D32]
chess24.com (3.12) 2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.dxc5 d4 6.Na4 b5 7.cxb6 axb6 8.b3 b5 9.Nb2 Bb4+ 10.Bd2 Bxd2+ 11.Qxd2 Nf6 12.e4 Nxe4 13.Bxb5+ Bd7 14.Qb4 Nc3 15.Bxd7+ Qxd7 16.Kf1 Nc6 17.Re1+ Kd8 18.Qb6+ Qc7 19.Qc5 Rxa2 20.Nd3 Re8 21.Nf3 Ra5 22.Qc4 Rxe1+ 23.Ndxe1 Qd7 24.h4 Qd5 25.Rh3 Qxc4+ 26.bxc4 Ra4 27.Nxd4 Rxc4 28.Nf5 g6 29.Nd6 1-0
Artemiev, V (2704)-
Carlsen, M (2847) [A04]
chess24.com (3.13) 2021
1.Nf3 c5 2.c4 Nf6 3.g3 Nc6 4.Bg2 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Nc3 g6 7.h4 h6 8.0-0 Bg7 9.d3 Be6 10.Bd2 b6 11.a3 Rc8 12.Rc1 0-0 13.Nxd5 Bxd5 14.b4 Nd4 15.Nxd4 Bxg2 16.Ne6 Qd7 17.Kxg2 Qxe6 18.bxc5 Rxc5 19.Rxc5 bxc5 20.Be3 c4 21.dxc4 Qxc4 22.Qd2 a6 23.Rc1 Qe4+ 24.Kg1 Rb8 25.Qa5 Qe5 26.Qxa6 Kh7 27.Bf4 Qb5 28.Qxb5 Rxb5 29.Rc7 g5 30.hxg5 hxg5 31.Be3 Kg6 32.a4 Rb2 33.a5 Ra2 34.Rc6+ Kf5 35.a6 Ke4 36.a7 Bd4 37.Bxd4 Kxd4 38.Rc7 g4 1-0
Carlsen, M (2847)-
Artemiev, V (2704) [B51]
chess24.com (3.14) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Nd7 4.a4 Ngf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.a5 Bg7 7.0-0 0-0 8.a6 bxa6 9.Bxa6 Bxa6 10.Rxa6 Nb8 11.Ra3 Nc6 12.d3 Qb6 13.b3 Nd7 14.Bb2 Qb7 15.Qa1 a5 16.Nd5 Bxb2 17.Qxb2 a4 18.Qc1 e6 19.Ne3 axb3 20.Rxb3 Qc7 21.Qb2 Rfb8 22.Rxb8+ Rxb8 23.Qc3 Nde5 24.Nxe5 Nxe5 25.Ra1 Nc6 26.Qf6 Qd8 27.Qxd8+ Rxd8 28.Ra6 Nb4 29.Rb6 d5 30.exd5 exd5 31.d4 cxd4 32.Rxb4 dxe3 33.fxe3 Rc8 34.Rb5 Rxc2 35.Rxd5 Kg7 36.Kf1 Kf6 37.Rd7 h5 38.h4 Ke6 39.Ra7 f6 40.Rg7 Kf5 41.e4+ Kxe4 42.Rxg6 Kf5 43.Rh6 Kg4 44.Rxf6 Kxh4 45.Rf4+ Kg5 46.Rf3 Rc4 47.Kf2 Rf4 48.Rxf4 Kxf4 49.g3+ Kg4 50.Kg2 h4 51.gxh4 Kxh4 ½-½
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qg1!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Bxg7 2.Qxg7#; 1…Bg6/xf5 2.Q(x)g6#; 1…Bxg8+ 2.Nxg8#; 1…Raxf5 2.Qxd4#; 1…Rhxf5 2.Qg5#; 1…Nxf5 2.Qxb6#./PN
