SERGEY Karjakin, playing white, surprised everyone by opening with 1.d4 then sprang a novelty, on move 11 against Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the first game of their FIDE Open World Cup championship match in Sochi, Russia. The young Polish GM, however, was unimpressed and defended with a move that flabbergasted his Russian foe who, was a pawn down and forced him to draw the game by repetition after only 17 moves of a Queenâs Gambit Accepted Vienna System.
The news of the day, though, belonged to world champion Magnus Carlsen, who crushed Vladimir Fedoseev in the first game of their battle for third place. Carlsen, still clearly disappointed by his elimination by Duda in the semifinals, bent his frustration on Fedoseev by going on a sacrificial spree that tied up his Russian foe in a hopeless position for most of the game and prompted resignation on the 41st move of a Kingâs Indian Defense. The game simply showed the world championâs over-the-board brilliance.
Karjakin, S (2757)-
Duda, J-K (2738) [D37]
Krasnaya Polyana (8.1) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 dxc4 5.e4 Bb4 6.Bxc4 Nxe4 7.0-0 Nf6 8.Qa4+ Nc6 9.Ne5 Rb8 10.Nxc6 bxc6 11.Rd1 Bd7 12.Bg5 Be7 13.Qxa7 Ra8 14.Qb7 Rb8 15.Qa7 Ra8 16.Qb7 Rb8 17.Qa7 ½-½
Fedoseev, V (2696)-
Carlsen, M (2847) [E60]
Krasnaya Polyana (8.1) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.h4 Bg7 4.Nc3 d6 5.e4 Nc6 6.d5 Ne5 7.Be2 h5 8.Bf4 0-0 9.Nf3 Nxf3+ 10.gxf3 c6 11.Qd2 cxd5 12.cxd5 Kh7 13.a4 Nd7 14.a5 f5 15.Ra3 Ne5 16.Be3 f4 17.Bxf4 Bd7 18.Nd1 Rxf4 19.Qxf4 Bh6 20.Qg3 Qf8 21.Ne3 Bf4 22.Qg2 Rc8 23.Rc3 Rxc3 24.bxc3 Qc8 25.c4 b5 26.axb6 axb6 27.Qg1 Qa8 28.Kf1 Qa2 29.Ng2 Qa1+ 30.Ne1 Qb2 31.Ng2 Qc1+ 32.Ne1 Qd2 33.Qg2 Kg7 34.Rg1 Kf8 35.Qh1 e6 36.Rg3 exd5 37.exd5 Bf5 38.Rg1 Kf7 39.Rg3 Nd7 40.Rg5 Bxg5 41.hxg5 Ne5 0-1
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qf5!, and Blackâs futile options are: 1…Qe2 2.Rc4#; 1…Qxd5 2.Qxf2#; 1…Bxd5 2.Qxf6#./PN
