Hikaru Nakamura defeated Daniil Dubov, 2½-1½, in the first of their best-of-three mini-matches recently to move to within a match of winning the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge.
Nakamura pounced and converted from a wrong plan by Dubov in a somewhat level position to take the first game.
The American grandmaster then won the second game by blasting the 24-year old Russian’s Philidor Defense in 57 moves.
Dubov managed to beat the 33-year old Nakamura in the third game after the latter played rather poorly, winning in 44 moves of an English Four Knights.
The two will tangle again with Nakamura angling for the championship via a win while Dubov looking to level the score to extend the final to a third and last mini-match.
Dubov, D (2699)-Nakamura, H (2736) [D37]
chess24.com (3.11) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Be7 5.Bg5 h6 6.Bh4 0-0 7.Qc2 c5 8.dxc5 dxc4 9.e3 Na6 10.Bxc4 Nxc5 11.0-0 a6 12.Rfd1 Qe8 13.Be2 b6 14.b4 Ncd7 15.Nd4 Bb7 16.Qb2 Rc8 17.b5 a5 18.Na4 Nd5 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Bf3 Nc5 21.Nxc5 Rxc5 22.Nc6 Bxc6 23.bxc6 Qc7 24.Rac1 Qxc6 25.Rxc5 Qxc5 26.Bxd5 exd5 27.Rc1 Qd6 28.g3 Rd8 29.Qb5 d4 30.exd4 Qxd4 31.Rc6 Qe4 32.Rc1 Qf3 33.Qb1 g6 34.h4 Rd6 35.Qa1 Kh7 36.Qb1 h5 37.Re1 a4 38.Qb4 Rd1 39.Rxd1 Qxd1+ 40.Kh2 Qc2 41.Qxb6 Qxa2 42.Qf6 Qe6 43.Qc3 Qb3 44.Qf6 a3 45.g4 Qe6 46.Qf3 a2 0-1
Nakamura, H (2736)-Dubov, D (2699) [C41]
chess24.com (3.12) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 exd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 Be7 6.Bc4 0-0 7.0-0 c6 8.Re1 a5 9.a4 Na6 10.Bf4 Nc5 11.Nb3 Ne6 12.Bg3 g6 13.e5 dxe5 14.Bxe5 Qxd1 15.Raxd1 Rd8 16.Nd4 Ne8 17.Nxe6 Bxe6 18.Bxe6 fxe6 19.Ne2 Bf6 20.Bxf6 Rxd1 21.Rxd1 Nxf6 22.f3 Kf7 23.Nf4 e5 24.Nd3 Re8 25.Re1 e4 26.Nc5 b5 27.Nxe4 Nxe4 28.Rxe4 Rd8 29.axb5 cxb5 30.Kf2 Rd2+ 31.Re2 Rd1 32.Ke3 Ke6 33.c3 Rh1 34.g3 Kd5 35.f4 h5 36.Kd3 a4 37.Rf2 Rd1+ 38.Kc2 Rg1 39.f5 gxf5 40.Rxf5+ Kc4 41.Rf4+ Kc5 42.Rh4 Kd5 43.Rxh5+ Kc4 44.Rh4+ Kc5 45.Rd4 Rg2+ 46.Rd2 Rg1 47.h4 Rxg3 48.Rh2 b4 49.cxb4+ Kxb4 50.h5 a3 51.Rh4+ Kc5 52.b4+ Kb5 53.h6 Rg2 54.Kb1 Ka4 55.h7 Rg1 56.Kc2 Rg2 57.Kd3 1-0
Dubov, D (2699)-Nakamura, H (2736) [A29]
chess24.com (3.13) 2020
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 7.0-0 Be7 8.a3 0-0 9.b4 Be6 10.Rb1 f6 11.b5 Nd4 12.e3 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 Rb8 14.d4 exd4 15.exd4 Qd7 16.Re1 Rfe8 17.a4 Bf7 18.a5 Nd5 19.Nxd5 Bxd5 20.Bf4 Rbc8 21.Bg4 f5 22.Bh5 Red8 23.Bf3 Bf8 24.Be5 b6 25.axb6 cxb6 26.Bxd5+ Qxd5 27.Qa4 Rd7 28.Rbc1 Rcd8 29.Rc6 f4 30.gxf4 Bd6 31.Qc4 Qxc4 32.Rxc4 Bxe5 33.dxe5 Rd4 34.Rec1 h5 35.Kg2 Kh7 36.Rxd4 Rxd4 37.Kf3 Rd5 38.e6 Kg6 39.Re1 Rd8 40.e7 Re8 41.Re5 Kf6 42.Ke4 Rxe7 43.Rxe7 Kxe7 44.Kf5 1-0
Nakamura, H (2736)-Dubov, D (2699) [B52]
chess24.com (3.14) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.Bb5+ Bd7 4.Bxd7+ Nxd7 5.0-0 Ngf6 6.Re1 e6 7.c3 Be7 8.d4 0-0 9.e5 Ne8 10.exd6 Bxd6 11.Nbd2 Nef6 12.Qe2 Qc7 13.Nc4 Be7 14.Bg5 cxd4 15.Nxd4 Rac8 16.Ne3 Rfe8 17.Rad1 a6 18.Bh4 b5 19.a3 Qb7 20.Nf3 h6 21.Bg3 Ne4 22.Nf1 Nxg3 23.Nxg3 Nb6 24.Ne5 Red8 25.Nh5 Rxd1 26.Qxd1 Nd5 27.Qg4 Bg5 28.h4 Bf6 29.Nd3 Qe7 30.Nb4 Nxb4 31.axb4 g6 32.Nxf6+ Qxf6 33.g3 Kg7 34.Rd1 Rc4 35.Qe2 g5 36.hxg5 hxg5 37.Kg2 g4 38.Qe3 Qf5 39.Rh1 Qe4+ 40.Qxe4 Rxe4 41.Ra1 Re2 42.Rxa6 Rxb2 43.Rb6 Rc2 44.Rxb5 Rxc3 45.Rg5+ ½-½
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO. The key to our last problem is 1.Bc6!. Black’s futile options are: 1…Se7 2.Se4#; 1…Sb6 2.Bb4#; 1…Sxc6, Rxc6 2.Sd7#; 1…Re5 2.Rc1#; 1…Bxc6 2.Sxa6#; 1…Bd4 2.Qa3#; 1…Rd6 2.Qc4
