Clutch Chess Final: A one-point lead for So

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
5/29/2020 – Each of the finalists of the Clutch Chess Champions Showdown won a game on day one of the deciding match, but Wesley So goes into day two with a one-point lead over Fabiano Caruana thanks to his win in the second "clutch game" of the day. The winner of the tournament will be decided on Friday, when six more games will be played, with the last two worth three points apiece. | Photo: Lennart Ootes
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Tactics, blunders, tension

The first six games of the final displayed so much of what makes rapid and blitz chess an entertaining format when elite players go all out for the win. Fabiano Caruana sacrificed material in the first two games and played ambitiously from start to finish, but was not able to get more than a win against a very resourceful Wesley So.

Caruana was the first one to score, taking down So's Berlin Defence. The world number two finished the game in style:

 
Caruana vs. So - Game 2
Position after 22...Rg4

White found 23.Rd7, attacking two pawns at once. Black responded with 23...Rc8 and after 24.Rxf7 Nf8 Caruana played the decisive 25.Rh1. So resigned due to 25...Nxe6 26.Ne5 Rf4+ 27.Rxf4 Nxf4 and 28.Rh8+, winning the rook.  

Getting ahead on the scoreboard did not prompt Caruana to play it safe from that point on, as he went for the Benoni in the next game. The Italian-American grandmaster got a favourable position in the middlegame, but blundered a tactic that could have gained So a piece:

 
So vs. Caruana - Game 3
Positioon after 25...Nxd5

Just when the commentators were praising Caruana's tactical alertness, the latest World Championship challenger missed that White had 26.f4 in the diagrammed position. Luckily for him, though, So also missed this move and played 26.h4 instead! In the end, this and the following two games finished drawn.

After keeping the lead for a while, Caruana finished the day faltering with white in the second "clutch game" of the session (worth two points). Keeping the format in mind, Caruana noted that there is not much of a difference between finishing day one tied or down a point, as it is very likely for the match to be decided in games 11 and 12.

For now, So has a one-point lead nonetheless.

  Total G1 G2 G3 G4 G5* G6* G7 G8 G9 G10 G11** G12**
Fabiano Caruana 3½ ½ 1 ½ ½ ½ 0            
Wesley So 4½ ½ 0 ½ ½ ½ 1            
*Games 5 and 6 are worth two points each
** Games 11 and 12 are worth three points each
 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.a4 Rb8 8.c3 d6 9.d4 Bb6 10.axb5 axb5 11.Na3 0-0 12.Nxb5 Bg4 13.Bc2 Bxf3 C78: Ruy Lopez: Archangelsk and Möller Defences. 14.gxf3 Nh5 15.f4 Nxf4 White has an edge. 16.Bxf4 exf4 17.Qg4 Ne7 18.Na3
18...c5N Predecessor: 18...Ng6 19.Rfd1 c5 20.dxc5 Bxc5 21.b4 Bb6 22.Nc4 Qc7 23.Bb3 Ne5 24.Nxe5 dxe5 1/2-1/2 (35) Hild,H (2369)-Cvak,R (2428) ICCF email 2018 19.dxc5 Bxc5 20.b4 Bb6 21.Qxf4 Ng6 22.Qg3 d5 23.Rad1 Bc7 24.f4 Qf6 25.e5! White is pushing. Qc6 26.h4 Better is 26.Bxg6 hxg6 27.Rd3 26...Ra8= 27.Nb1 Ra2 28.Rd2 h5 is the strong threat. Rfa8 29.Qd3 29.Kh2± 29...Bb6+ 30.Kh2 d4 30...Rb2= keeps the balance. 31.c4± Bd8 31...Bc7± might work better. 32.Qxd4+- Qc7? 32...Qe6 was worth a try. 33.h5 Nf8 33.h5 Nf8 34.c5 Qe7 35.Be4? 35.Qf2+- and White stays clearly on top. 35...Ne6 36.Qd3 Rxd2+ 37.Nxd2 37.Qxd2?! Qh4+ 38.Kg1 Rb8= 37...Ra2 38.Bxh7+ Kh8 Strongly threatening ...Qh4+. 39.Bf5 And now Bxe6 would win. Qh4+ 40.Kg1 40.Kg2 40...Be7 41.Bxe6 fxe6 42.Rf2! Black must now prevent Kg2. Qg4+
43.Kh2 Of course not 43.Rg2?! Ra1+ 44.Nf1 Qxf4= 43.Kh1! 43...Bh4±
44.Rg2 White should play 44.Qf3!± Qxf3 45.Rxf3 44...Qxf4+= The position is equal. 45.Kh3 Ra1 ( -> ...Rh1+) 46.Nf3 Rh1+ 47.Nh2 Re1 47...Be7!? 48.Qg3 Qf5+ Double Attack 49.Qg4 Qd3+ 50.Qg3 Qf5+ Double Attack 51.Qg4 Qd3+ 52.Qg3 Qf5+= Double Attack 48.Ng4 Rh1+ 49.Nh2! Re1 Black escapes into a draw. Accuracy: White = 67%, Black = 74%. 49...Bg5!? 50.Qg3 Qf5+ 51.Qg4 Qd3+ 52.Qg3 Qf5+ 53.Qg4 Qd3+ 54.Qg3 Qf5+= ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2741Caruana,F2773½–½2020Clutch Chess 20202.1
Caruana,F2773So,W27411–02020Clutch Chess 20202.2
So,W2741Caruana,F2773½–½2020Clutch Chess 20202.3
Caruana,F2773So,W2741½–½2020Clutch Chess 20202.4
So,W2741Caruana,F2773½–½2020Clutch Chess 20202.5
Caruana,F2773So,W27410–12020Clutch Chess 20202.6

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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