Quantum Time

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Hikaru Nakamura

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship; Final match game 1; time control: 25 minutes for the first 30 moves, plus 5 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 5 seconds per move starting from move 31; Reykjavík, October 30, 2022

qrbnkbrn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/QRBNKBRN w GBgb - 0 1

Position #582

1. b4 b5 2. a4 bxa4 3. Qxa4 e6 4. Nc3 Ng6 5. Ng3 f5 6. e3 Be7 7. b5 0-0 8. Ra1 f4 9. Nge2 (9. Nh5!? fxe3 10. dxe3 c6 11. Ba3⩲)
9. ... fxe3 10. dxe3 c6 11. Nd4 c5 12. Nf3 Bf6 13. Ra3 d5 14. Be2 Rb7 15. 0-0 Qb8 16. e4 d4 17. Nd1?! More promising seems the Pawn sacrifice 17. e5, eventually vacating the square at e4 for the Knight.
17. ... Bd7 18. c4 dxc3 19. Nxc3?! Consistent, but had Nepomniachtchi appreciated the strength of Nakamura’s next move, he would probably have preferred 19. Qc2 Bxb5 20. Nxc3 Bxe2 21. Nxe2 when Black’s volatile extra Pawn counts for very little.

19. ... a6! 20. e5. Clearly not 20. Qxa6? because of 20. ... Bxc3 21. Rxc3 Ra7 trapping the Queen. On the other hand 20. Rb3 Bxc3 21. Rxc3 axb5 22. Qc2 c4 also looks quite scary for White.
20. ... axb5 21. Bxb5 Bxb5 22. Nxb5 Nxe5 23. Nc3 Nxf3+ 24. gxf3 Rb4 25. Qa6 Be5 26. Ne4 Bxh2+. Perhaps a little too greedy.
27. Kg2 Bf4 28. Rd3? ⌓ 28. Qa7! Qe5 29. Bxf4 Rxf4 30. Re3! Nb7 31. Rd1 Rf7 leaves Black with two Pawns ahead, yet White may still hope for some compensation.
28. ... Qe5 29. Rfd1

29. ... Rxe4!−+ 30. fxe4 Bxc1 31. Rxd8 Qg5+ 32. Kf1 Rxd8 33. Qxe6+ Kh8 34. Rd5 Qh4 35. Kg2 h6 36. Rxc5

36. ... Be3! 37. Rc2. If 37. fxe3 then 37. ... Rd2+ followed by mate.
37. ... Bd4 38. Qf5 Qe7 39. f4 g6! 0 : 1.

Thirteen years after his first “unofficial” title in the Mainz World Championships (2009), Nakamura also inscribed his name in FIDE’s honour roll. Nevertheless, it took an Armageddon for him to prevail in his final match against his ultimate opponent, Nepomniachtchi, who was arguably the revelation of the tournament. Photo © David Llada/FIDE.

Time to Think

Speaking to NRK right after his defeat in the semifinal of the 2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Knockout Tournament, Magnus Carlsen, without periphrases, called his own play “pathetically bad”. Indeed, he committed an unusual number of mistakes, while instead his opponent, Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi, “played fast and tactically. It was very frustrating. I stood clearly better in all four games, but I was unable to get more out of it”, Carlsen said. “I had neither the time nor the disposition to play my chess. It is also one of the reasons why I advocate to play Fischer’s chess with longer time controls and classical chess at a little faster cadence”. Photo © David Llada/FIDE.

The Same But Different

Magnus Carlsen – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship; Seminfinal match game 2; time control: 25 minutes for the first 30 moves, plus 5 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 5 seconds per move starting from move 31; Reykjavík, October 29, 2022

nrnkbrqb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NRNKBRQB w FBfb - 0 1

Position #187

1. f4 f5 2. g4 g6 3. Nab3 Nab6 4. Na5 c6 5. b3 d6 6. c4 Bd7 (6. ... fxg4!? 7. Qxg4 Nd7)
7. g5 Qf7 8. d4 0-0 9. Nd3 Na8 10. Qe3 Nc7 11. Bf2 Qe8 12. Qf3 Qd8 (⌓ 12. ... Ne6 13. e3 Nd8! 14. b4 Nf7 Δ ... e7-e5)
13. b4 e5 14. dxe5 dxe5 15. fxe5 Qxg5 16. h4 Qe7 17. h5 Ne6 18. hxg6 hxg6 19. 0-0-0 Nb6 20. Rg1 Be8 21. Qh3 Nd7? (⌓ 21. ... Bg7 22. c5 Na4)

22. Bxc6! bxc6 23. Nxc6 Qg7 24. Qf3? And not 24. Nxb8?? because of 24. ... Nxe5!−+ turning the tables on Black. White, however, missed here his opportunity of carrying his purpose out by 24. Rh1! (Δ Nc6-e7+) and if 24. ... Kf7 then 25. e4! with a crushing attack.
24. ... Rc8 25. Qd5 Rxc6! 26. Qxc6 Ndc5 27. Qd6 Nxd3+ 28. exd3 Bf7

29. d4!? Now White should have contented himself with 29. Rxg6+! Bxg6 (or also 29. ... Qxg6 30. Rg1 Qxg1+ 31. Bxg1 Rd8) 30. Qxe6+ with a draw in view.
29. ... Rd8 30. Qe7 Qh6+ 31. Rd2? A grave oversight, which in fact loses the game.

31. ... Bxe5!−+ 32. Kc2 Bxd4 33. Re1 Bb6 34. Rxd8+ Bxd8 35. Qd6 Bc7 36. Qd2 Qh3 37. Qd3 Qg2 38. Qd2 g4 39. Qe2 Nd4+ 40. Bxd4 Qxd4 41. Kb3 a5 42. Rd1 Qb6 43. a3 axb4 44. axb4 Bd6 45. Qd2 Bf8 46. Qc3 f4 47. Rd7 Qe6 48. Rd4 Qf5 49. Qd3 Qf6 50. Rd8 f3 51. Qd4 Qf5 52. Qd6 Be6 53. Rxf8+ Qxf8 54. Qxe6+ Qf7 55. Qe1 f2 56. Qf1 Qf3+ 57. Ka4 Qe3 58. Qg2 Kg7 59. b5 Qe1 60. Qb7+ Kh6 0 : 1.

4X

Nodirbek Abdusattorov – Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Group A; match game 3; time control: 25 minutes for the first 30 moves, plus 5 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 5 seconds per move starting from move 31; Reykjavík, October 27, 2022

nrkrbbnq/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NRKRBBNQ w DBdb - 0 1

Position #378

1. g4 Nb6 2. f4 d5 3. e4 Nf6 4. exd5 Nfxd5 5. Ne2 Bc6 6. Bg2? 6. Qg1 Nb4! (Δ ... Nb4xa2#) 7. b3 Nxa2+ 8. Kb2 Nb4 leaves Black a Pawn up, which all considered would be White’s best compromise!

6. ... g5! Vehemently taking the upper hand. Black’s Knights are ready to jump to b4 and c4 with winning threats.
7. fxg5 Qe5! 8. Qf1 Nb4? Threatening a smothered mate (... Nb4xa2#), but allowing White to recoordinate. Much better was 8. ... Ne3! 9. dxe3 Rxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Nc4 11. Bf2 0-0-0+ with a forcing attack.
9. Nc3 Bxg2 10. Qxg2

10. ... N6d5? Another mistake that compromises Black’s game quite irreversibly. Black ought to play 10. ... Nc4, because if now 11. Bg3?? (10. a3 Nd5= is correct) then 11. ... Qxc3!! 12. bxc3?? Nxa2#.
11. Bg3! Qxg5 12. 0-0 f6 13. Nb5 e5 14. Nxa7+ Kd7 15. a3 Bc5+ 16. Kh1 Bxa7 17. axb4 Nxb4. Black has temporarily recovered his Pawn, but his development suffers a grave lack of coordination.
18. Qe4. Double attack.
18. ... Nc6 19. Qxh7+ Kc8 20. Nb3 Rd7 21. Qh8+ Nd8. So now White’s got the Black King bottled up.
22. Qxf6 Qxg4 23. Qxe5 Qc4 24. Na5 Qa6

25. Rf8! Threatening Rf8xd8+.
25. ... Qh6. To avoid the Bishop check at h4 after 26. Rxd8+ Kxd8.
26. Rxd8+! Kxd8. Of course Black cannot take with the Rook, because of the mate on c7.
27. Re1! Kc8 28. Qe8+ Rd8 29. Qf7 1 : 0. For mate follows in a few moves.

Chaotic Dynamics

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Wesley So

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Group A; match game 2; time control: 25 minutes for the first 30 moves, plus 5 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 5 seconds per move starting from move 31; Reykjavík, October 26, 2022

nrkrbbqn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NRKRBBQN w DBdb - 0 1

Position #362

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Rxd5 3. Bc4 Rd6 4. f3 Ng6 5. Bg3 e5 6. a3 Bc6 7. Nf2 Nb6 8. Ba2 Bd5 9. Bxd5 Rxd5 10. Ne4 0-0-0 11. Nb3 h5 12. Nc3 R5d7 13. a4 h4 14. Bf2 f6 15. Ra1! White renounces the possibility of castling a-side as he needs the Rook on the a-file for attacking purposes.
15. ... Nf4 16. Bxb6 cxb6! Black cedes a Pawn to keep the a-file closed.
17. a5 Bb4 18. axb6 a6 19. Ra4 Bxc3 20. Qc5+ Kb8 21. bxc3

21. ... Nd3+!? Black sacrifices a second Pawn in order to strip away all vestiges of the White King.
22. cxd3 Qxb3 23. Rxh4

23. ... Rxd3? A countersense that invalidates Black’s previous moves. Consistent was 23. ... Qa2! 24. Rc4 (or 24. Rb4 Rc8=) 24. ... Qa1+ with a draw by perpetual check.
24. Rc4! With the fatal threat of 25. Qc7+ Ka8 26. Qc8+ followed by mate.
24. ... R3d7 25. d4!

25. ... Qb5? The exchange of Queens must have appeared to So as the lesser evil, but alas for him, the ensuing Rook ending is hopeless for Black. Other moves, however, wouldn’t necessarily be better: 25. ... exd4? 26. Rd2! (Δ Rd2-b2) 26. ... dxc3 27. Qc7+!! Rxc7 28. Rxd8+ followed by mate. The best, probably, would be 25. ... Qa2, but then after 26. 0-0!! (h-side castling) White comes out with a Pawn ahead and much the better game.
26. Qxb5 axb5 27. Rc5 exd4 28. Rxd4 Rxd4 29. cxd4 Rd6 (29. ... Rxd4 30. Rc7!+−)
30. Rxb5 Rxd4 31. Rh5 Kc8 32. Rh8+ Kd7 33. Rh7 Rc4+ 34. Kd2 Kc6 35. Rxg7 Kxb6 36. Rg6 Ka5 37. Rxf6 b5 38. Rf8 b4 39. Rb8 Ka4 40. g4 b3 41. h4 Rf4 42. Ra8+ Kb5 43. Ke3 Rb4 44. Ra1 Kc5 45. h5 Kd5 46. h6 Ke6 47. h7 Rb8 48. Rb1 1 : 0.

Simplicity in Complexity

Wesley So – Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Group A; match game 2; time control: 25 minutes for the first 30 moves, plus 5 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 5 seconds per move starting from move 31; Reykjavík, October 25, 2022

rnbbkqrn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBBKQRN w GAga - 0 1

Position #629

1. d4 d5 2. Nc3 c6 3. e4 dxe4 4. Nxe4 Bb6? (⌓ 4. ... f5 5. Nc5 Bb6)
5. c3. 5. Qe2 Nd7 6. c3 Bc7 transposes into the game.
5. ... Nd7 6. Qe2 Bc7 7. 0-0 Nf6 8. Nhg3

8. ... h5? This seems a velleitary Pawn sacrifice, but Black’s situation was very difficult in any case. Perhaps he could try 8. ... Bg4 9. f3 Bd7 followed by ... 0-0-0 (a-side castling).
9. Nxf6+ gxf6 10. Nxh5. With the incidental threat of Nh5xf6+.
10. ... Kd8 11. Bf4 Ng6 12. Bxc7+ Kxc7 13. Qe3 Be6

14. Bb3! Bxb3 15. axb3 Rh8 16. Qg3+ Kb6? The Black King goes for a journey with no return, but after 16. ... Kd7 17. Ra5! White still holds a powerful grip on the game.
17. c4! a6 (17. ... Rxh5 18. c5++−)
18. c5+ Ka7

19. Rxa6+! 1 : 0. Mate follows after 19. ... Kxa6 (19. ... bxa6 20. Qc7#) 20. Ra1+ Kb5 21. Qd3+ Kb4 22. Qc4#.

From the Earth to the Moon

Magnus Carlsen – Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Group B; match game 1; time control: 25 minutes for the first 30 moves, plus 5 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 5 seconds per move starting from move 31; Reykjavík, October 25, 2022

rnbbkqrn/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNBBKQRN w GAga - 0 1

Position #629

1. d4 c5 2. d5 e6 3. e4 Qd6? In fact, here is a big mistake leading to immediate trouble. 3. ... exd5 4. exd5 Qe7+ seems playable.
4. Nc3 Ng6 5. f4 Ba5 6. Qf2! exd5

7. 0-0! d4? Of course, this only makes things worse. But Black had no particularly attractive options — for example: 7. ... Bxc3 8. bxc3 dxe4 9. f5 Ne5 10. Qg3! with great advantage to White.
8. e5 Qe7 9. Ne4 0-0 10. Nhg3 Bc7

11. Nf5 Qd8 12. Nfd6 Bxd6 13. Nxd6 Nc6 14. Be2 f6 15. Qg3 Qe7 16. Bc4+ Kh8

17. Rf3! With the fatal threat of Qg3xg6 followed by Rf3-h3#.
17. ... b5 18. Bd5. 18. Qxg6 bxc4 19. Rh3 wins as well, but by now it is a matter of taste.
18. ... fxe5 19. Qxg6 Rf6 20. Qe8+ Qxe8 21. Nxe8 e4 22. Nxf6 exf3 23. Ne4 c4 24. Bd2 Rb8 25. Re1 1 : 0.

G8

The 2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship is set to start on October 25, 2022 in Reykjavík, Iceland. The final tournament is divided into two stages: a two-group stage followed by the knockout stage. Time control is 25 minutes for the first 30 moves, plus 5 minutes for the rest of the game, plus 5 seconds per move starting from move 31. The finalists are (in alphabetical order): Nodirbek Abdusattorov, Matthias Blübaum, Magnus Carlsen, Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev, Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi, and Wesley So. For further details and information, click here.

The Reorder of Things

David Navara – Matthias Blübaum

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Qualifier 2; Final match game 4; time control: 15 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; chess.com, August 31, 2022

rnkrbqnb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RNKRBQNB w DAda - 0 1

Position #651

1. f4 f5 2. g3 g6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. e3 e6 6. d4 d5 7. Ne5 Ne4 8. Bxe4. Finally breaking the symmetry, but no initiative will come from it. 8. ... dxe4. 8. ... fxe4 9. Qh3 Qe7 is also perfectly playable. 9. Qc4 Qe7 10. a3 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Rxd1+ 12. Nxd1 0-0-0 13. Nf2 b6

14. a4! White goes for the attack, thus signaling that he won’t castle. On the other hand, 14. 0-0-0 Rxd1+ 15. Nxd1 Bg7 is nothing special for White. 14. ... Rd5?! 15. b4 Kb8 16. h4?! This is cryptic and useless. White could and should consolidate his bind on the position with Nf2-d1-c3-e2-d4. 16. ... Bg7 17. Kb2 Qd8 18. Qb3 Bf8 19. Bc3 Be7 20. Qc4? White achieved very little so far, and again he would probably have done better to recycle his Knight to the centre via h3, g1 and e2.

20. ... Qc8? Much better seems 20. ... Bxa4! 21. Qa6 b5 22. Qxe6 c5 with an overwhelming advantage for Black. 21. Be1 Qd8 22. Qe2 Qc8 23. Qc4 a6 24. Nd1 b5 25. axb5 (25. Qa2! c5 26. axb5 cxb4∞) 25. ... Rxb5 26. Kc1 c5

27. Nc3? 27. bxc5 Bxc5 28. Qa2 Rb6= was apparently good enough to hold balance. 27. ... Rb6! 28. Na4? Tantamount to capitulation. However, if 28. bxc5 Bxc5 29. Qe2 then 29. ... a5! 30. Rxa5 Bb4 winning the Exchange. 28. ... Bxa4 29. Rxa4 cxb4 30. Qxc8+ Kxc8. Now, with a Pawn ahead and the much better Bishop, the ending is easily won. 31. Ra5 Kb7 32. Kb2 Rc6 33. Ra4 Bc5 34. Bxb4. Or 34. Bd2 Rc8 35. Kb3 Rd8−+ sooner or later forcing the White Bishop to take on b4. 34. ... Bxe3 35. Bd6 Bf2 36. c4 e3 37. c5 e2 38. Rb4+ Ka7 39. Bb8+ Ka8 0 : 1.

Fractals and Chaos

Vincent Keymer – Alexander Anatolyevich Donchenko

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Qualifier 2; time control: 10 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; chess.com, August 29, 2022

bnqbnrkr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/BNQBNRKR w HFhf - 0 1

Position #17

1. c4 Nf6 2. b3 e6 3. e3 b6 4. Bf3 Na6 5. Nc3 Be7 6. d4 Rd8 7. e4 d5 8. cxd5 exd5 9. e5 Ne4 10. Be2 c5 11. Nf3 0-0 12. Rd1 Nb4 13. a3 Nc6 14. 0-0 cxd4 15. Nb5 Rfe8 16. b4 a5 17. bxa5 bxa5 18. Qf4 Bb7 19. Nbxd4 Nxd4 20. Nxd4

20. ... Bxa3!? A somewhat risky Pawn grab, although Black might be able to hold his own with correct play. Of course here 20. ... Bg5 was to be considered, on which there could follow 21. Qf5 Qxf5 22. Nxf5 g6 with a more or less balanced game. 21. Bb5

21. ... Rf8? This obvious reply is in fact mistaken and leaves White with a free hand on the h-side. Black’s only chance was 21. ... Ba6! 22. Bxe8 Rxe8 23. Rfe1 Bb4 24. Nf5 Bxe1 25. Rxe1 Qc5! 26. Nxg7! Qb4 27. Rd1 Nc3 28. Qxb4 axb4 29. Bxc3 Rb8 30. Bxb4 Kxg7 31. Bd6 Be2! 32. Re1 d4 33. Bxb8 d3 with a likely draw. 22. Nf5 Qe6 23. f3 Qb6+ [23. ... Nc5 24. Qg5 g6 25. Nh6+ Kg7 (25. ... Kh8? 26. Nxf7!+−) 26. Ng4+−] 24. Bd4 Qxb5 (24. ... Nc5 25. Qg3 g6 26. e6!+−) 25. fxe4 Bc5 26. Qg5 g6 27. Nh6+ Kg7 28. Nf5+ Kg8

29. Qf6! gxf5 30. Qg5+ Kh8 31. Qf6+ Kg8 32. Rxf5 Bxd4+ 33. Rxd4 Qb1+ 34. Kf2 Qb2+ 35. Kg3 h6 36. Qxh6 Qc3+ 37. Kh4 1 : 0.

Going Alien

The victory in the Qualifier 1 of the 2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship gave Russian Grandmaster Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev a date for the Grand Finale at Reykjavík in October. Yet, as he himself said in the interview afterwards, it was anything but easy for him to extricate himself from the “going alien”. “Fischerandom is the game you cannot control. It’s absolutely impossible”, Fedoseev said. “Positions during this tournament were so crazy that it was impossible to judge them correctly. Because of this, I mostly feel like an idiot who tries to find solutions in an absolutely different world. That’s why I stayed calm in any trouble and was ready to play any hopeless position”.

King Without a Castle

Vladimir Vasilyevich Fedoseev – Benjamin Bok

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Qualifier 1; Quarterfinal match game 1; time control: 15 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; chess.com, August 23, 2022

bnqbrnkr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/BNQBRNKR w HEhe - 0 1

Position #113

1. e4 c5 2. b3 b6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Bxd4 Ne6 5. Bb2 0-0 6. Ng3 Bc7 7. Bg4 Bf4 8. Qd1 Nc6 9. Nc3 Be5 10. Nge2 Qb8. White has not yet castled, and Black does not intend to allow him to do it. 11. Bc1? White doesn’t succeed in solving his development issue(s) and soon falls into an uncomfortable pattern. Probably best was 11. h4! b5 12. Rh3 (developing and pseudo-castling) 12. ... b4 13. Na4 with an interesting game in true hypermodern style. 11. ... Ncd4 12. Nd5 Nxe2+ 13. Bxe2 Nc5 14. f3 e6 15. Ne3 d5 16. exd5 exd5 17. Ng4 Bc3 18. Bd2 Bd4+ 19. Nf2

Black has already an appreciable advantage in his much better development, but that does not seem enough for Bok, who, quite adventurously, does not hesitate to sacrifice a Knight for the sake of preventing White from castling h-side: 19. ... Ne4?! 20. fxe4 dxe4 21. c3 Bxf2+ 22. Kxf2 f5 23. Be3 f4 24. Bd4 f3? Now it is consistent, but too hasty. In fact by allowing White to get the two Bishops against Black’s castle cannot but bring disgrace on the defender. Correct was 24. ... b5! 25. Rhf1 (or 24. Bg4 e3+ 25. K~ b4!) 24. ... f3! with interesting compensation. 25. Bc4+ Kh8 26. g3 b5 27. Bf1 b4 28. Qd2 Rd8 29. Qe3 Qc7 30. Bc4 Qa5 31. Ra1 bxc3 32. Bxc3 Qf5 33. Rhd1 Rd7 34. Rxd7 Qxd7

35. Rd1! Qe7. The Rook is taboo, for if 35. ... Qxd1 then 36. Bxg7+! Kxg7 37. Qg5+ Kh8 38. Qe5+ followed by mate. In any event, what follows is only a cat and mouse affair, which Fedoseev handles with merciless coolness. 36. h4 Bc6 37. Qg5 Qc7 38. Be5 Qb6+ 39. Bd4 Qc7 40. Be3 Qc8 41. Bf1 a6 42. Qc5 Rg8 43. Rc1 Qd7 44. Qxc6 Qe7 45. Qc5 Qe6 46. Qc4 Qe5 47. Qd4 Qe6 48. Rc7 a5 49. Qd7 Qe5 50. Bd4 e3+ 51. Bxe3 Qb2+ 52. Qd2 Qe5 53. Rc5 Qe6 54. Qd4 a4 55. Qxa4 Qf6 56. Qd4 Qe6 57. Rc7 Qf5

58. g4! A beautiful deflection. Nevertheless, 58. Rxg7! would force mate in a few moves. 58. ... Qb1 59. Qxg7+! Rxg7 60. Rc8+ Rg8 61. Bd4# 1 : 0.

Ten Minutes in the Fourth Dimension

Denis Lazavik – Luca Moroni

2nd World Fischerandom Chess Championship Qualifier 1; time control: 10 minutes plus 2 seconds per move; chess.com, August 22, 2022

bnrkqnrb/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/BNRKQNRB w GCgc - 0 1

Position #243

1. b3 b6 2. e4 e5 3. 0-0-0 g6 4. g3 f5 5. exf5 Bxh1 6. Rxh1 gxf5 7. d4 e4. Fixing the centre may make Black’s situation just a little uneasy, so perhaps 7. ... Ng6 8. dxe5 f4 was here to be considered. 8. Ne3 Qg6 9. Nc3 0-0-0 10. Ncd5 Nc6 11. Qe2 Kb7 12. Nf4 Qf7 13. d5 Ne5 (13. ... Bxa1? 14. dxc6+ Ka8 15. Qa6 Rb8 16. Qb5+−) 14. Rd4 Nfg6. 14. ... Ra8 15. Ra4 a6 also seems playable. 15. Ra4 a5

16. b4! Sometimes less is better than more as the showy sacrifice 16. Rxa5!? is neutralised by 16. ... Ra8! (but not 16. ... bxa5?? by reason of 17. Qb5+ K~ 18. d6!+−) 17. Rxa8 Rxa8 18. Kb1 Nxf4 19. gxf4 Ng6 20. Bxh8 Nxf4 21. Qxd2 Rxh8= with equality. 16. ... Nxf4? This is probably Black’s crucial mistake. He had to play at once 16. ... Ra8 17. bxa5 Ra6 18. Qb5 Rga8 with a sufficient defence. 17. gxf4 Ng6 18. Bxh8 Rxh8 19. bxa5 Ra8 20. Qc4 Rhc8. Not 20. ... Nxf4? on account of 21. a6+! Kc8 (21. ... Kb8 22. a7+!+−) 22. a7!+− winning. 21. Kd2! Making room for the other Rook. 21. ... Qf6 22. Rb1 Nxf4

23. Qb5? Throwing away the win: consistent was 23. Qc5! Ra6 (now neither 23. ... Qd6 nor 23. ... Qh4 are playable for Black because of 24. Rxb6+!+−) 24. Nc4 with an irresistible attack. 23. ... Qd6? (23. ... Qh4!⇄) 24. Ke1 Rg8 25. Kd2

25. ... Ra6? As Tarrasch said, “When you don’t know what to do, wait for your opponent to get an idea — it’s sure to be wrong!”. 26. axb6 Rxb6 (26. ... Qxb6 27. Qa6+!+−) 27. Qa6+!   1 : 0.

Once Again

The World Fischerandom Chess World Championship is finally back, after the COVID black hole. The format of this second official edition is similar to that of the first one. The long and winding road to Bobby Fischer’s last hermitage begins with two online qualifiers in August (on 22–24 and 29–31), which will entitle four players to join the four invited players in the Grand Knockout Tournament scheduled to be held on October 25–30 in Reykjavík, Iceland. The invited stars are Wesley So (the reigning Fischerandom World Champion), Magnus Carlsen (the GOAT approximately), Hjörvar Steinn Grétarsson (Iceland’s No. 1), and a not-yet-named FIDE wild card. For further details and information, click here.

First Man

Wesley So – Magnus Carlsen

1st World Fischerandom Chess Championship; Final for First Place; match game 6 (15+2); Høvikodden, November 2, 2019

nrkbqnbr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/NRKBQNBR w HBhb - 0 1

Position 253

Filipino-American Grandmaster Wesley So inscribed his own name on the gates of the temple of Caïssa by winning the first World Fischerandom Chess Championship in the country of the defending “unofficial” World Champion Magnus Carlsen. So great has been So’s supremacy, that he won the final within today’s first two “fast rapid” games, with six rounds still to go! 1. f4 Nb6 2. Nb3 d5. Under less dramatic circumstances, Carlsen would have probably gone for 2. ... f6!? 3. e4 e5 with a more balanced perspective. Incidentally, Black got a satisfactory play after 4. f5 c6 5. g4 Bc7 6. d3 0-0-0 7. Bf3 Kb8 8. Nfd2 d5⩱ Caruana – Nepomniachtchi, 1st World Fischerandom Chess Championship, Final for Third Place, Høvikodden 2019, match game 7 (15+2). Just for the record, in the end Nepomniachtchi won both the game and third place. 3. e4 dxe4 4. Qxe4 Nfd7 5. Ne3 c6. 5. ... g6 6. f5 c6 7. Bf2 Bc7 may be more solid. 6. Bf2 Bc7 7. Nf5 e6 8. Nxg7 Qf8 9. Nh5 h6. Carlsen must win, but how? 9. ... f5 10. Qf3 Bf7 is definitely less risky, but hardly good enough for a miracle. 10. Be2 Bh7 11. Qf3 Rg8 12. Bd3 Bg6. Another act of contortion, hoping for something to turn up. On the other hand, after 12. ... Bxd3 13. Qxd3 Rxg2 14. Bg3 White certainly does not risk much. 13. Bxg6 fxg6 14. Ng3

14. ... Bxf4. A last, desperate smoke signal, but it can’t work. 15. 0-0 g5 16. Ne2 e5. Carlsen’s frantic Bishop sacrifice is in fact his way of surrendering the game and the match. 17. g3 0-0-0 18. gxf4 exf4 19. Bxb6 axb6 20. Rbe1 Ne5 21. Qc3 Qd6 22. Ned4 g4 23. Nf5 Nf3+ 24. Kh1 Qd7 25. Ne7+ Kb8 26. Nxg8 Nxe1 27. Qe5+ Ka8 28. Nf6 Qf7 29. Rxf4 1 : 0.

“It’s shocking even to me”, So smilingly told NRK. “After checking with computer, I think I’ve played pretty well”. Carlsen, on his part, exhibited his fair play by acknowledging his opponent’s merits: “I just want to say congratulations to Wesley. He played much better than me. I felt I played okay on first day, but, as for the rest, I am just ashamed of myself. I wish I could do it all over again”, he said. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Just Because

Wesley So – Magnus Carlsen

1st World Fischerandom Chess Championship; Final for First Place; match game 3; Høvikodden, November 1, 2019

rknbbqnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RKNBBQNR w HAha - 0 1

Position 729

Today’s two “slow rapid” games turned out to be quite a nightmare for Carlsen, who, however, can still hope for the best in the next rapid and blitz games — both time controls being his specialty. 1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. e5 c5 4. dxc5 Qxc5 5. Nb3 Qc7 6. f4 Nb6 7. Be2 Ne7 8. Nf3 Nc4 9. Bd3 Nc8 10. a4 N8b6 11. a5 Na4 12. Bxc4 Qxc4 13. Qxc4 dxc4 14. Nbd4 Be7 15. Bh4 Bxh4 16. Nxh4 0-0-0 17. Nhf3 Rd5 18. b3 cxb3 19. cxb3 Nc5 20. Kc2 Bd7 21. b4 Na6 22. Kb3 Rd8 23. Rhc1+ Kb8 24. Rc4 Be8 25. Rac1 h6 26. h4 b5? This is probably the cause of all Black’s difficulties. Correct was 26. ... b6! 27. axb6 axb6 27. R4c2 Kb7 28. Rd2 Nc7 with approximate equality. 27. R4c2 Kb7 28. Rd2 Nb8 29. Rcd1 Rc8 30. Ne2 Bc6 31. Nfd4 g5!? A desperate bid for freedom. 32. Nxc6 Rxd2 33. Rxd2 Nxc6

34. Nc3? So apparently misses a pretty win: 34. Rd7+ Rc7 (34. ... Kb8 35. Rxf7 gxh4 36. Rg7 may be a little better, but probably undefendable as well) 35. Rxc7+ Kxc7 36. fxg5 hxg5 37. h5! Nxe5 38. h6 Ng6 39. Nd4 with an easily won ending. 34. ... gxf4 35. Nxb5 Kb8 36. Rd7 a6 37. Nd6 Nd4+? But, strangely, Carlsen does not take his chance: 37. ... Nxe5 38. Rb7+ Ka8 39. Rb6 Rc6 40. Rxc6 Nxc6 41. Nxf7 h5 with a likely draw. 38. Ka4 Rg8 39. Nxf7 Nf5 40. Nd6 Nxh4? 40. ... Rxg2 41. Nxf5 exf5 42. Rf7 is probably a lost cause as well, but makes it just a little tougher for So. 41. Rb7+ Ka8 42. Rb6 Nxg2 43. Rxa6+ Kb8 44. Rb6+ Ka8 45. Ra6+ Kb8 46. Rb6+ Ka8 47. Nb5 Ne3 48. Ra6+ Kb8 49. Rb6+ Ka8 50. Nc7+ Ka7 51. Rxe6 f3 52. Rf6 Ng4 53. Nb5+ Kb8 54. Rxf3 Nxe5 55. Rf5 Rg5 56. Rf8+ Kb7 57. Nd6+ Kc6 58. Nf7 Nxf7 59. Rxf7 h5 60. b5+ Kd5 1 : 0.

Three losses in a row are quite unprecedented in 16th World Chess Champion’s experience, but So knows Carlsen is not the guy to fall for such misadventures. Photo © Lennart Ootes.

Third eye

Ian Alexandrovich Nepomniachtchi – Fabiano Caruana

1st World Fischerandom Chess Championship; Final for Third Place; match game 3; Høvikodden, November 1, 2019

rknbbqnr/pppppppp/8/8/8/8/PPPPPPPP/RKNBBQNR w HAha - 0 1

Position 729

Nepomniachtchi took advantage of today’s two “slow rapid” games, winning one and drawing the other, but nothing is lost for Caruana, who will certainly do his best on tomorrow’s rapid and blitz games. 1. e4 Nf6 2. d3 d5 3. e5 Nd7 4. f4 Ndb6 5. Nb3 e6 6. Nf3 c5 7. c4 d4 8. Nfd2 Na4 9. Ne4 a5 10. f5 Bc6 11. Nbd2 Ncb6 12. Bxa4 Nxa4 13. Bg3

13. ... Ra6? Apparently no one is interested in castling, so both have to think about where to hide their monarchs. White’s King is obviously heading for c2, and probably Black’s King ought to settle with 13. ... Ka7!? 14. Kc2 Be7, for if 15. b3, as in the game, there could follow 15. ... Nc3 16. Nxc3 dxc3 17. Nb1 h5 18. h4 Rd8 19. Nxc3 Rd4 with fair compensation for the Pawn. Caruana goes instead for a more ambitious “non-castling attacking mode” which miserably fails on strategic and tactical grounds. 14. Kc2 Rb6 15. b3 Nc3 16. Nxc3 dxc3 17. Nb1 h5 18. h4 a4 19. Nxc3 Qe8 20. Qf2 Ra6 21. Rhe1 Ka8 22. Qxc5 Be7 23. Qf2 Bb4 24. Red1 Qd8 25. Rdb1 Qa5 26. Nxa4 Bxa4 27. bxa4 Bc5 28. Qf3 Qxa4+ 29. Kd2 Rb8 30. Rb5 Rb6 31. Qd1 Qxd1+ 32. Rxd1 Rxb5 33. cxb5 exf5 34. Rc1 b6 35. Rc4 Rd8 36. Kc3 Kb7 37. d4 Bf8 38. a4 Rd7 39. Bf4 Be7 40. g3 Bd8 41. Rc6 Bc7 42. Kc4 Rd8 43. d5 Ra8 44. Kb3 Re8 45. d6 Bd8 46. Kc4 Rg8 47. d7 Be7 48. e6 1 : 0.

Caruana and Nepomniachtchi are doing their very best to draw the public’s attention to their extremely hard-fought final for third place. Photo © Maria Alekseevna Emelianova.