NETHERLANDS top player Anish Giri won his first Meltwater Champions Chess Tour tournament by beating Russia’s Ian Nepomniachtchi in their title tiff for the Magnus Carlsen Invitational which ended March 21 at the chess24.com server.
Giri and Nepomniachtchi earlier battled to a 2-2 draw in the first set of their championship fight and another 2-2 tie in regulation in the second set, before the Dutch player finally prevailed in a taut tie-break match he won, 2-0. The duo’s two-set battle provided a glimpse of their Sicilian Defense Najdorf and Taimanov variation-repertoires played eight times in regulation. They only deviated from the Sicilian in the two-tie-break games. In the battle for 3rd-4th places, Magnus Carlsen defeated a dispirited and unenthusiastic Wesley So to take the bronze. Wesley’s disappointing loss to Giri in the semis probably took the fight out of him.
Giri’s victory was worth $60,000, while Nepomniachtchi took home $40,000. Carlsen pocketed $25,000 and Wesley settled for $15,000. Not bad for a few days work sitting in front of one’s computer, eh?
Giri, A (2776)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2789) [B48]
chess24.com (3.22) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.Be3 a6 7.g4 h6 8.h4 Nf6 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.Qf3 d5 11.g5 hxg5 12.hxg5 Rxh1 13.Qxh1 Ng4 14.Bd2 Bb7 15.Qh3 Ne5 16.0-0-0 d4 17.Nb1 c5 18.f4 Nc6 19.g6 0-0-0 20.gxf7 Qxf7 21.Bc4 Kb8 22.Bxe6 Qc7 23.Bc4 Ka7 24.Na3 Nb4 25.Re1 Be7 26.Kb1 Re8 27.e5 Bd8 28.Bb3 g5 29.Nc4 gxf4 30.Bxf4 Nd5 31.Bd2 Qg7 32.Nd6 Rh8 33.Qe6 Bh4 34.Rc1 Nc7 35.Qc4 Qxe5 36.Nf7 Qh2 37.Qxc5+ Kb8 38.Qxd4 Rf8 39.Bf4 Bg3 40.Bxg3 Qxg3 41.Qb4 1-0
Nepomniachtchi, I (2789)-Giri, A (2776) [B97]
chess24.com (3.23) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6 8.Nb3 Nbd7 9.Qe2 Qc7 10.0-0-0 b5 11.a3 Be7 12.Kb1 Rb8 13.Qe1 h6 14.Bh4 Bb7 15.Bd3 Nc5 16.Nxc5 dxc5 17.e5 Nd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Be4 b4 21.a4 b3 22.cxb3 Rxb3 23.Rxd5 exd5 24.Bxd5 Rb4 25.e6 fxe6 26.Bxe6 Qf6 27.b3 Qxf4 28.Bc4+ Kd8 29.Qe6 Qd4 30.Qxa6 Re8 31.Rf1 Qe4+ 32.Ka2 Rxc4 33.Qxc4 Qxc4 34.bxc4 Re2+ 35.Kb3 Re3+ 36.Kb2 Re2+ 37.Kb3 Re3+ 38.Kc2 Re2+ 39.Kd3 Rxg2 40.Rf7 Rxh2 41.Rxg7 Ra2 42.Ke4 Rxa4 43.Kd5 Ra6 44.Kxc5 Kc8 45.Rh7 Rg6 46.Kb5 Rf6 47.c5 Re6 48.c6 Re1 ½-½
Giri, A (2776)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2789) [B30]
chess24.com (3.24) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 e6 4.Bxc6 bxc6 5.d3 Ne7 6.Nbd2 Ng6 7.h4 h5 8.e5 d6 9.exd6 e5 10.Nc4 Bg4 11.Bg5 f6 12.Bd2 Bxd6 13.Qe2 Bc7 14.0-0-0 0-0 15.Kb1 Rb8 16.Rdg1 Nf4 17.Bxf4 exf4 18.Re1 Qd5 19.Qd1 Rfe8 20.b3 Kf7 21.a4 Rbd8 22.Ka2 Kg6 23.Rhg1 Kh6 24.Rh1 Qf7 25.Kb1 Be6 26.Nfd2 Bd5 27.Rhg1 Qg6 28.Rxe8 Rxe8 29.f3 f5 30.Qf1 Qg3 31.Rh1 Bd8 32.Nd6 Rf8 33.N2c4 Bxh4 34.Ne5 Rf6 35.c4 Bg8 36.Nb7 Re6 37.Rh3 Rxe5 38.Rxg3 Bxg3 0-1
Giri, A (2776)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2789) [C02]
chess24.com (3.31) 2021
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.c3 d5 4.e5 Nc6 5.d4 Bd7 6.Be2 Nge7 7.Na3 cxd4 8.cxd4 Ng6 9.Nc2 f6 10.exf6 gxf6 11.0-0 Bd6 12.g3 h5 13.Bd3 Nce7 14.Ne3 h4 15.Ng4 Kf7 16.Re1 Qf8 17.Nfe5+ fxe5 18.dxe5 Bc5 19.Bg5 hxg3 20.hxg3 Bc6 21.Rc1 d4 22.Be4 Bxe4 23.Rxe4 Nf5 24.Qa4 Rc8 25.Bf6 Rh7 26.Qd7+ Nge7 27.Bxe7 Qxe7 28.Qxc8 Bb6 29.Nf6 Rg7 30.Qh8 d3 31.Qh5+ Rg6 32.Rg4 1-0
Nepomniachtchi, I (2789)-Giri, A (2776) [A01]
chess24.com (3.32) 2021
1.b3 d5 2.Bb2 Bf5 3.d3 c5 4.Nd2 Nf6 5.g3 Nc6 6.Bg2 e5 7.e4 dxe4 8.dxe4 Be6 9.Ngf3 Qc7 10.0-0 Be7 11.Nc4 Rd8 12.Qb1 Bxc4 13.bxc4 0-0 14.Re1 Nd7 15.Bf1 Nd4 16.Nd2 Bg5 17.Bxd4 Bxd2 18.Rd1 cxd4 19.Rxd2 Nc5 20.Bd3 Rd6 21.Re2 Ra6 22.Qc1 Ra4 23.Qg5 f6 24.Qh5 Ra3 25.Rd2 Qa5 26.Rdd1 Rxa2 27.Rab1 Qc7 28.Rf1 Ra5 29.Qg4 Ra3 30.f4 exf4 31.gxf4 Nxd3 32.cxd3 Rxd3 33.e5 Re3 34.Qg2 Qc6 35.Qd5+ Qxd5 36.cxd5 fxe5 37.Rxb7 exf4 38.Rc1 f3 39.Kf2 Re2+ 40.Kf1 Re5 41.Rcc7 Rg5 42.h4 Rg4 43.Kf2 Rg2+ 44.Kf1 f2 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Be5!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Kg1 2.Sh3#; 1…Ke1/xe3 2.Rxe2#; 1…Kg3 2.Sd3#./PN
