It was a rollercoaster of a deciding semifinal match, but in the end, favorite Ian Nepomniachtchi finally defeated a plucky Anish Giri on Sunday to formally claim the second and last finals seat of the ongoing Legends of Chess Online Rapid Tournament at the chess24.com server.
The deciding match was tough and tense, with Nepomniachtchi and Giri drawing all their four regulation rapid games before the 30-year old Russian grandmaster prevailed in the second game of their blitz tiebreak to end the match. The younger 25-year old Giri pressed throughout the match but squandered the little advantages he gained.
Nepomniachtchi will now dispute the tournament title versus Magnus Carlsen who disposed of semifinal foe Peter Svidler in two earlier match sets.
Giri, A (2764)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [D02]
chess24.com (1.31) 2020
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bf4 Nf6 7.e3 Bd6 8.Bg5 Bb4 9.Bd3 Bxd3 10.Qxd3 h6 11.Bxf6 Qxf6 12.0-0 Bxc3 13.Qxc3 0-0 14.Rfc1 Rfd8 15.Ne5 Rd6 16.Qb3 Nxe5 17.dxe5 Qxe5 18.Qxb7 Rad8 19.Qxa7 d4 20.exd4 Rxd4 21.Re1 Qd6 22.Rac1 Rd1 23.Qe3 Rd2 24.Rb1 Qf6 25.Qf3 Qd4 26.Rbc1 c5 27.g3 Qxb2 28.Rxc5 Qxa2 29.Rce5 Qa8 30.Qxa8 Rxa8 31.Re8+ Rxe8 32.Rxe8 Kh7 33.Kg2 g6 34.h4 h5 35.Re3 Kg7 36.Rf3 Ra2 37.Re3 Rb2 38.Rf3 Ra2 39.Re3 Rb2 40.Rf3 Ra2 ½-½
Nepomniachtchi, I (2784)-Giri, A (2764) [C65]
chess24.com (1.32) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.0-0 Nd4 6.Bc4 d6 7.a4 c6 8.Nxd4 Bxd4 9.a5 a6 10.Nd2 0-0 11.Bb3 h6 12.h3 Ba7 13.Nc4 Be6 14.c3 Bxc4 15.Bxc4 d5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.Bb3 Qd6 18.Qf3 Rfe8 19.Qg3 Nh5 20.Qh4 Nf6 21.Be3 d4 22.cxd4 Bxd4 23.Bxd4 exd4 24.Bc4 Re2 25.Qg3 Qe7 26.b4 Qxb4 27.Rab1 Qe7 28.Qf3 Ra7 29.Rb6 Re1 30.g3 Qe2 31.Qxe2 Rxe2 32.Rfb1 Re7 33.Rd6 Ra8 34.Rxd4 Rc8 35.Kg2 g6 36.Rd6 Kg7 37.Rdb6 Rcc7 38.R1b2 Red7 39.Ba2 Ng8 40.d4 Ne7 41.h4 h5 42.d5 Nxd5 43.Bxd5 Rxd5 44.Rxb7 Rxb7 45.Rxb7 Rxa5 46.Rb6 Ra3 47.f3 Kf8 48.Rb7 Re3 49.Ra7 Re6 50.g4 hxg4 51.fxg4 Kg7 52.Kf3 Rb6 53.h5 g5 54.Kg3 Rb3 55.Kg2 Ra3 56.Kf2 Ra4 57.Kg3 Ra3 58.Kf2 a5 59.Ra6 Ra4 60.Kg3 Ra3 61.Kg2 Ra4 62.Kg3 Ra3 63.Kg2 Ra4 64.Kg3 ½-½
Giri, A (2764)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [D02]
chess24.com (1.33) 2020
1.Nf3 d5 2.d4 Bf5 3.c4 e6 4.Nc3 Nc6 5.Bg5 Be7 6.Bxe7 Ncxe7 7.e3 Nf6 8.Be2 h6 9.0-0 0-0 10.Qb3 Rb8 11.Rfd1 c6 12.Rac1 Ne4 13.Nxe4 Bxe4 14.Nd2 Bg6 15.Qa3 Ra8 16.b4 Nf5 17.Qb2 a6 18.a4 Nd6 19.b5 axb5 20.axb5 Ra4 21.c5 Ne4 22.Ra1 Rxa1 23.Rxa1 Nxd2 24.Qxd2 cxb5 25.Bxb5 Qb8 26.Qb2 Rc8 27.f4 Be4 28.Bf1 g5 29.fxg5 hxg5 30.Ra3 Kg7 31.Rb3 Rc7 32.Ba6 Qa7 33.Bxb7 Qa5 34.Kf2 Re7 35.c6 Re8 36.Ra3 Qc7 37.Kg1 Rh8 38.g3 Rh3 39.Qf2 Rh6 40.Qe1 Qb6 41.Qc1 Qc7 42.Qe1 Qb6 43.Ra2 Rf6 44.Qc1 Bd3 45.Rf2 Rxf2 46.Kxf2 Bc4 47.g4 Qa5 48.e4 f6 49.e5 Qa2+ 50.Kg1 Qe2 51.h3 Qd3 52.exf6+ Kf7 53.Qxg5 ½-½
Nepomniachtchi, I (2784)-Giri, A (2764) [C67]
chess24.com (1.34) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nxe5 8.Rxe5 0-0 9.d4 Bf6 10.Re1 Re8 11.c3 Rxe1 12.Qxe1 Ne8 13.d5 d6 14.a4 a5 15.Na3 Bd7 16.Nc4 Bg5 17.Be3 Bxe3 18.Nxe3 Nf6 19.Qd1 Qe7 20.Qb3 b6 21.Qc4 Rc8 22.Bd3 Qe5 23.h3 Nh5 24.Re1 Nf4 25.Bf1 Qf6 26.Rd1 h6 27.Rd4 Ng6 28.Re4 Qd8 29.Qe2 f5 30.Rd4 Qg5 31.g3 f4 32.h4 Nxh4 33.Rxf4 Ng6 34.Re4 h5 35.Ng2 Rf8 36.Qe3 Qf5 37.Nf4 Nxf4 38.Rxf4 Qb1 39.Qe4 Qxe4 40.Rxe4 Re8 41.Rc4 Re1 42.Kg2 Re7 43.Bd3 ½-½
Nepomniachtchi, I (2784)-Giri, A (2764) [C45]
chess24.com (1.36) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nxc6 bxc6 6.e5 Qe7 7.Qe2 Nd5 8.h4 a5 9.c4 Ba6 10.Nd2 Nb6 11.h5 Qe6 12.h6 gxh6 13.b3 0-0-0 14.Bb2 Bg7 15.0-0-0 Rhe8 16.f4 f6 17.Ne4 fxe5 18.Nc5 Qf5 19.Nxa6 exf4 20.Qd3 Bxb2+ 21.Kxb2 Qe5+ 22.Qc3 Kb7 23.Qxe5 Rxe5 24.Rxh6 c5 25.Nxc5+ Rxc5 26.Rxh7 Rf8 27.Be2 d6 28.Bf3+ Kb8 29.Re1 Nc8 30.Re6 Rg5 31.Kc3 Rfg8 32.Rf7 Re5 33.Rh6 a4 34.Rhh7 axb3 35.Rxc7 Re3+ 36.Kb2 Rxf3 37.gxf3 bxa2 38.Kxa2 Rg3 39.Rb7+ Ka8 40.Rb3 Rg2+ 41.Ka3 Rc2 42.Rb4 Rc3+ 43.Kb2 Rxf3 44.Rh8 Rf2+ 45.Kc3 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Nf5! Black’s futile options are 1…d5 2.Qg4#; 1…exf5 2.Qe2#; 1…Be5 2.Qh1#; 1…Be7 2.Sc3#; 1…Ke5 2.Sbxd6/c3#; 1…Kd5/xf5 2.Sbxd6#./PN
