The opening day of the Fabiano Caruana vs Leinier Dominguez Perez and Levon Aronian vs Alexander Grischuk matches in the ongoing second edition of the Clutch Chess Showdown on the lichess.org playing server also turned out exciting as expected.
Caruana demolished Dominguez Perez, 5½-2½, while Aronian went through a rollercoaster ride before prevailing over Grischuk, 5-3.
Aronian and Grischuk were tied 3-3 going to the 6th and last game for the day before the Armenian mated the Russian in an enervating Ruy Lopez Berlin that took all of 133 moves.
Meanwhile, Dominguez Perez started strong by winning Game 1 and holding the fort in Game 2. However, Caruana turned on the afterburners and went on to win the next three games.
It is not the end yet for Perez and Grischuk though. They will still try to recover lost grounds in Games 7 to 12.
Dominguez Perez, L (2758)-Caruana, F (2835) [B12]
lichess.org (1.1) 2020
1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.e5 Bf5 4.h4 h5 5.Bd3 Bxd3 6.Qxd3 e6 7.Nf3 Be7 8.c4 dxc4 9.Qxc4 Nd7 10.Qc2 c5 11.d5 exd5 12.e6 fxe6 13.Qg6+ Kf8 14.Qxe6 Bf6 15.0-0 Ne7 16.Nc3 Rc8 17.Ng5 Bxg5 18.Bxg5 Rc6 19.Bxe7+ Qxe7 20.Qxd5 Nf6 21.Qf3 Kf7 22.Rfe1 Qd7 23.Ne4 Kg6 24.Ng5 Rd6 25.Qc3 Rc8 26.Re5 c4 27.Rae1 Rd3 28.Qb4 b6 29.Re7 Qd6 30.Qa4 a5 31.Qc2 Rc7 32.R7e6 Qf4 33.g3 Qf5 34.Qe2 Rcd7 35.Rxb6 Rd8 36.Ne6 Rd2 37.Qe3 R8d6 38.Nf8+ Kf7 39.Rb7+ Kg8 40.Ne6 Kh8 41.Ng5 Kg8 42.Rb8+ Rd8 43.Qxd2 Rxb8 44.Qd6 Rf8 45.Qd4 Qc2 46.Re7 Qb1+ 47.Kg2 Qf5 48.Ne6 Re8 49.Nxg7 1-0
Dominguez Perez, L (2758)-Caruana, F (2835) [C67]
lichess.org (1.3) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bd3 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0 9.Nc3 g6 10.Nd5 Bh4 11.b3 c6 12.Ba3 cxd5 13.Bxd6 Bxf2+ 14.Kh1 Bd4 15.Rxd5 Bxa1 16.Bxf8 Bf6 17.Bd6 b6 18.Qg4 Qe8 19.Bg3 Bb7 20.Rf5 Qe6 21.Rf4 Be5 22.Qxe6 fxe6 23.Rg4 Bxg3 24.Rxg3 Kf7 25.Kg1 e5 26.Rh3 h5 27.Rg3 Rg8 28.h4 Kf6 29.Kf2 Bd5 30.c3 Be6 31.Be2 a5 32.Ke3 Rc8 33.Rf3+ Bf5 34.Rf1 d5 35.g3 Ke6 36.Ba6 Rc7 37.Bb5 Rg7 38.Be2 Rd7 39.d4 Rc7 40.c4 Kd6 41.Rd1 Re7 42.dxe5+ Rxe5+ 43.Kf2 Rxe2+ 44.Kxe2 Bg4+ 45.Kd2 Bxd1 0-1
Caruana, F (2835)-Dominguez Perez, L (2758) [E51]
lichess.org (1.4) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Nf3 d5 5.e3 0-0 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 c5 8.a4 Qa5 9.Bd2 Ne4 10.Bd3 Nc6 11.Qc2 cxd4 12.exd4 Nxd2 13.Nxd2 h6 14.0-0 Qc7 15.Rfe1 Na5 16.cxd5 exd5 17.Re3 Be6 18.Rae1 Rac8 19.h3 Kh8 20.Bf5 Bxf5 21.Qxf5 Qc6 22.Nf3 Nc4 23.Re7 Kg8 24.a5 Rcd8 25.Rb1 Nxa5 26.Ne5 Qf6 27.Qxf6 gxf6 28.Ng4 Kg7 29.Ra1 b6 30.Ne3 Nc6 31.Rc7 Rc8 32.Rxc8 Rxc8 33.Nxd5 Na5 34.Kf1 Rd8 35.Ne3 Rc8 36.Ra3 Nc4 37.Nf5+ Kh7 38.Rxa7 Re8 39.Rxf7+ Kg6 40.Re7 Rxe7 41.Nxe7+ Kf7 42.Nf5 h5 43.Ke2 1-0
Grischuk, A (2784)-Aronian, L (2778) [C67]
lichess.org (1.6) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.d4 Nd6 6.Bxc6 dxc6 7.dxe5 Nf5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nc3 Be7 10.Bf4 Nh4 11.Rad1+ Ke8 12.Nxh4 Bxh4 13.Ne2 Be7 14.Nd4 a6 15.e6 Bxe6 16.Nxe6 fxe6 17.Rfe1 Bf6 18.b3 Ke7 19.Bxc7 Rhc8 20.Bd6+ Kf7 21.Bc5 Rd8 22.Bb6 Rd5 23.c4 Rxd1 24.Rxd1 Ke8 25.Rd6 Ke7 26.Rd3 Rc8 27.b4 e5 28.Bc5+ Ke6 29.Rd6+ Kf5 30.Bb6 Re8 31.Kf1 h5 32.Ke2 Re6 33.Rd1 Re8 34.a4 Ke6 35.h3 Be7 36.Rb1 Rf8 37.b5 Rf4 38.bxa6 bxa6 39.Rc1 c5 40.Ba5 Re4+ 41.Kd3 Rd4+ 42.Ke2 e4 43.Rc2 Bf6 44.Bb6 Kd6 45.Ba5 Kc6 46.Bd2 Rd3 47.a5 Rb3 48.Be3 Bc3 49.Bd2 Bb4 50.Ra2 g6 51.Kd1 Rd3 52.Ke2 Rd4 53.Rc2 Bxd2 54.Rxd2 Rxc4 55.Ke3 Ra4 56.Rd8 Rxa5 57.Kxe4 Ra4+ 58.Ke5 Ra2 59.Rd6+ Kb5 60.Rxg6 Re2+ 61.Kd5 Rxf2 62.g4 hxg4 63.hxg4 a5 64.g5 a4 65.Rg8 Rd2+ 66.Ke5 a3 67.g6 Rg2 68.Kf6 Kc4 69.Ra8 Kb3 70.Rb8+ Kc3 71.Ra8 Rf2+ 72.Ke7 Re2+ 73.Kf7 Rf2+ 74.Ke7 Re2+ 75.Kf7 a2 76.g7 Rf2+ 77.Ke7 Rg2 78.Kf7 Kb2 79.Rb8+ Ka1 80.g8Q Rxg8 81.Kxg8 c4 82.Rc8 c3 83.Kf7 Kb2 84.Rb8+ Kc2 85.Ra8 Kb3 86.Rb8+ Kc4 87.Rc8+ Kd3 88.Rd8+ Ke3 89.Re8+ Kf3 90.Re1 c2 91.Ke6 Kf2 92.Rh1 Ke3 93.Kd5 Kd2 94.Ra1 c1Q 95.Rxa2+ Ke3 96.Ra6 Qd1+ 97.Ke6 Ke4 98.Ke7 Qb3 99.Rh6 Qb7+ 100.Ke8 Qg7 101.Ra6 Qe5+ 102.Kf7 Kf5 103.Rh6 Qc7+ 104.Ke8 Qg7 105.Ra6 Qb7 106.Rh6 Qc7 107.Rh3 Qc6+ 108.Ke7 Qc7+ 109.Ke8 Kg6 110.Rd3 Qe5+ 111.Kd8 Qa5+ 112.Ke7 Qc7+ 113.Ke8 Qe5+ 114.Kd8 Qe4 115.Rd6+ Kf7 116.Kc7 Qc4+ 117.Rc6 Qf4+ 118.Kb6 Ke7 119.Kb5 Kd7 120.Rc4 Qe3 121.Kb4 Kd6 122.Ka4 Kd5 123.Rc2 Qb6 124.Rc3 Kd4 125.Rc2 Kd3 126.Rc1 Qd4+ 127.Kb3 Qd5+ 128.Kb4 Qb7+ 129.Ka3 Qb5 130.Rf1 Qa6+ 131.Kb3 Qb6+ 132.Ka3 Kc2 133.Rf3 Qa5# 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.e4!. Black’s futile options are: 1…Sc8/c6/xb5 2.S(x)c6#; 1…c6 2.Qxd6#; 1…Rxb8/b6/xb5 2.Qxc7#; 1…Bxc5 2.Bxc5#; 1…d4 2.Qe5#; 1…e3 2.Qxe3#./PN
