9/29/2021 – In round four of the Meltwater Chess Champions Finals World Champion Magnus Carlsen suffered an outright 1-3 defeat against Vladislav Artemiev. Wesley So drew his rapid match against Hikaru Nakamura but then lost the blitz-playoff 0-2. In the overall standings Carlsen is still four points ahead of So. | Graphics: Meltwater Chess Champions Tour
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In the first round of the Meltwater Champions Chess Finals Carlsen won convincingly against Jan-Krzysztof Duda, but in rounds two and three he had some trouble before beating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the tiebreaks. But in round four Carlsen found no recipe against a strong and confident Artemiev.
The first game ended in a draw but in the second game Carlsen lost after avoiding a slightly worse, but still drawish endgame.
29.Nc7?Giving two
pieces for the rook.After29.Bxe6Rxe6a draw is the most likely result.
29...Bxb330.Nxa6bxa631.Rc8+Kh732.a5Bc433.Kf2Bb534.Rc2Nc435.Ra2White has to keep an eye on the weak pawn on a5 and that keeps the white
rook busy. Black now advances on the kingside and wins without much trouble.Kg636.Kf3Kf537.g4+Ke538.h3g539.Kf2f540.gxf5Kxf541.Ra1Ke542.h4g443.Rc1h5After the tempting43...Nxa544.Rc5+Kf645.Kg3
Black loses the pawn on g4 and White can hope again to save a draw.44.Rd1Nd6Nxa5 was possible but this is easier. Black stops the rook from causing
trouble.45.Rc1Bc446.Rb1Nf547.Rb7g3+48.Kg1Nxh449.Rh7Be250.Rg750.Rg7Nf551.Rg8Ke452.Re8+Kf353.Rf8Bd30–1
After another draw in game three, Carlsen was in a must-win situation in game four. He had to win the game to equalise the match and to reach a tiebreak.
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1.e4c52.Nf3e63.c3d54.e5d45.d3Nc66.g3Nge77.Bg2g68.0-0Bg79.Re10-010.c4b611.Bf4h612.h4Bb713.Nbd2Nf514.Ne4Nb815.g4Bxe416.Rxe4Ne717.Re1Nd718.Nd2Rc819.Bg3g520.h5Qc721.Nf3Nc622.Qe2a623.Qe4b524.b3Qa525.Rec1Qa326.Rc2Rc727.Re1bxc428.bxc4Rb829.Qe2Rb6Black is more
active on the queenside - but Carlsen was trailing in the match and had to win
this game.30.Rd2Rc831.Nh2?!Preparing to push the f-pawn. If White
manages to open lines on the kingside, he can hope to get chances. However,
first White has to give the e-pawn and the ensuing complications turn out to
be in Black's favour.Ncxe532.f4Nxc4A strong counter. If White takes on
c4, Black takes on g3.33.fxg5Sacrificing material and hoping for the best.
33.dxc4Qxg334.fxg5Ne535.gxh6Bxh6is no serious alternative.33...Nxd234.gxh6Bxh635.g5Bxg536.Qg4f6At the moment, Black is a rook and
two pawns ahead.37.Rxe6Rxe638.Qxe6+Kh839.Qxd7White regained some
material but his king is also seriously exposed.Be3+?The wrong
move-order.After39...Qc1+40.Nf1Rg8Black is winning.40.Kh1Qc1+41.Nf1Rg842.Bh4And White suddenly has dangerous counterplay.Bg543.Bxg5Rxg543...fxg544.Qe6Threatening mate!Kh745.Qf7+Rg746.Qf5+Kh6If Black is not careful, he might even lose:46...Kg847.h6Rf748.Qe6+-47.Qf6+Kh7with a perpetual.44.Qd8+Kh745.Qxf6Rxh5+46.Kg1Nxf147.Qf7+Kh648.Qf6+Kh749.Qf7+Kh650.Qf8+Kg5White now tries a last
trick, hoping to make use of Black's time pressure.51.Qxc5+!?Qxc50–1
Carlsen's defeat gave Wesley So the chance to close the gap to Carlsen. But So had to play against Hikaru Nakamura, and after four draws in the rapid match, Nakamura won the blitz-playoff 2-0.
In the second game of the playoffs, So and Nakamura discussed a line of the Scotch that is currently popular. It leads to difficult and messy positions that even top players find hard to handle, especially with a few minutes on the clock.
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1.e4
1,173,500
54%
2421
---
1.d4
952,126
55%
2434
---
1.Nf3
283,503
56%
2440
---
1.c4
183,155
56%
2442
---
1.g3
19,796
56%
2427
---
1.b3
14,442
54%
2427
---
1.f4
5,921
48%
2377
---
1.Nc3
3,851
50%
2384
---
1.b4
1,771
48%
2379
---
1.a3
1,234
54%
2405
---
1.e3
1,075
49%
2409
---
1.d3
961
50%
2378
---
1.g4
668
46%
2360
---
1.h4
465
54%
2381
---
1.c3
436
51%
2426
---
1.h3
283
56%
2419
---
1.a4
116
60%
2462
---
1.f3
99
47%
2428
---
1.Nh3
92
67%
2511
---
1.Na3
42
62%
2482
---
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1.e4e52.Nf3Nc63.d4exd44.Nxd4Nf65.Nxc6bxc66.e5Qe77.Qe2Nd58.h4Currently fashionable in this line of
the Scotch. White wants to stop Black from playing ...g6. Black now has tried
almost every possible move.a5Popular alternatives are8...d68...Qe6and8...f69.c4Nb610.Nd210.Nc3has been played more often.10...g6Black usually refrains from this move after White's 8.h4.10...Qe611.h5Bg712.Nf3Qb4+13.Kd1?!White decides to leave his king in the middle
- a risky idea.13.Bd2Qxb214.Rc1was an alternative, e.g.0-015.hxg6fxg616.Qe4threatening c5 followed by Bc4(+). Afterd5the position is
still complicated and both sides have chances.13...Ba613...0-0!?14.h6Bh814.b314.h6!?Bxc415.Qc2Bf816.Rh4with complicated tactics.14...0-0-015.h6Bf816.Ng516.Qd3!?16...Qe716...d5!?17.Nxf7Be718.Nxd8Rxd8was a serious alternative - Black has a strong attack against
White's king.17.Rh3After17.Kc2!?Nd518.f4Nb4+19.Kb1White's
king would have been a bit more secure.17...d518.exd6Qd7The position
is a highly tactical and complicated, and hard to play correctly - much more
so in a blitz game.19.Kc2Bxd620.Rd3In this position the engines prefer
White.Rhe821.Qf321.Ne4!?with the ideaf522.Nxd6+cxd623.Qd2Kb724.Qxa5+-21...f522.Be3?Putting the bishop on a rather vulnerable
square.22.Bf4!?Nd522...Kb823.Rad1+-23.cxd5Bxd3+24.Bxd3Bxf425.Qxf4Qxd5+-22...c523.Be2?23.g3=23...Qe7?23...Bb7-+24.Qh3Kb825.g3Bc8?25...Qf626.Rad1Rxe327.Rxe3Qxg5-+26.Qh1?f427.gxf4Bxf4A complicated, messy game, until the very end.27...Bxf428.Nf3Bf5-+0–1
The match between Anish Giri and Levon Aronian ended in a clear 3-1 win for Aronian – Aronian lost the first game, but then won all the remaining three games. Shakrhiyar Mamedyarov defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave 2.5-0.5, and Teimour Radjabov won by the same score against Duda.
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1.d4Nf62.c4e63.Nc3d54.cxd5Nxd55.Nf3c56.e3cxd4D41: Queen's Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch with 5 cxd5.7.exd4Nxc38.bxc3Qc7The position is equal.9.Rb1!? A promising side line.Nd7
10.Bd3NPredecessor:10.c4b611.Bd3Bb712.0-0Bd613.Rb5h614.Re1a615.Rh5Nf616.Rh41-0 (44) Salem,A (2682)-Barp,A (2374) Chess.com INT 202010...Qxc3+11.Kf1Be711...Bd612.h4=0-013.Rh3Nf613...Qc7=14.Ne5
Black must now prevent Bxh7+!14...Qa515.Rg3 Threatens to win with Bh6! Black is under pressure.Kh8?15...Ne8!16.Bg5+-And now Bxf6 would win.White is clearly winning.h6
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