Berlin GP: So and Mamedyarov make it to the semifinals

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
3/30/2022 – Wesley So and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, the rating favourites in Tuesday’s rapid and blitz tiebreakers at the Berlin Grand Prix, defeated Sam Shankland and Vincent Keymer and thus advanced to the event’s semifinals. So will face Amin Tabatabaei, while Mamedyarov will play Hikaru Nakamura in 2-game matches starting Wednesday. | Photos: World Chess

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Favourites prevail

FIDE Grand Prix 2022Now that we know that Hikaru Nakamura and Richard Rapport won the coveted Candidates spots granted by the FIDE Grand Prix, the surviving players at the third leg in Berlin are only fighting for prize money and rating points. For Wesley So and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov, two of the most likeable elite players in the circuit, this was enough motivation to beat Sam Shankland and Vincent Keymer in the tiebreakers of the tournament’s preliminary stage.

While So got a 1½-½ victory over Shankland, Mamedyarov saw his young opponent bouncing back in the rapid section to take the match to blitz tiebreakers. As Keymer explained later on, his lack of experience against top opponents in blitz prevented him from putting up a real fight, as he lost both games and was knocked out of the tournament.

Mamedyarov mentioned that he thought Keymer was the strongest player in the pool during the classical phase, and that the youngster from Mainz has the potential to eventually reach a 2800+ Elo rating.

Vincent Keymer, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Vincent Keymer facing Shakhriyar Mamedyarov

Mamedyarov 3 - 1 Keymer

It was a fighting struggle in the battle of generations between Mamedyarov and Keymer. All four games ended decisively, and only one of them saw the Azerbaijani getting a somewhat ‘clean’ victory. It all started with Shakh going for his usual early g-pawn push.

 
Mamedyarov vs. Keymer - Rapid Game #1

12.g4 is, of course, a novelty. In the previous encounter that reached this position, Radoslaw Wojtaszek played the sensible 12.Ne5 against Keymer himself.

A principled player, Keymer did not take long to grab the pawn with 12...Nxg4. From that point on, Mamedyarov, as he has done so many times in the past, showed how strong he is when he gets the initiative — a feature especially useful in rapid chess.

Soon after, Shakh had both rooks and both bishops pointing at the black king.

 

There is not much Keymer could do to try to hold this losing position.

The 17-year-old, who has worked extensively with Peter Leko, got an outside passed pawn in the second rapid game.

 
Keymer vs. Mamedyarov - Rapid Game #2

Black is ready to create a passer on the queenside, but thanks to his more active king and rook (33.Ra1 was played in this position), Keymer eventually managed to level the score after showing great technique from a materially balanced position.

In the first 5-minute encounter, out of a Semi-Slav, Mamedyarov outplayed his young opponent in the middlegame and had no trouble converting his advantage to again get ahead on the scoreboard. Yet again in a must-win situation, Keymer failed to find a few tactical tricks in the rematch, as he blundered into a mating net to lose the game and the match.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.g3 Bb4+ 4.Nd2 d5 5.Bg2 0-0 6.Ngf3 dxc4 7.Qc2 7.a3!? Bxd2+ 8.Bxd2= 7...a5 E04: Open Catalan: 5 Nf3. 8.a3       Bxd2+ 9.Bxd2 b5! The position is equal. 10.a4 c6 11.h4 h6
12.g4N Predecessor: 12.Ne5 Qxd4 13.Nxc6 Nxc6 14.Bxc6 Rb8 15.axb5 Bb7 16.Bc3 Qc5 17.Bxb7 Rxb7 18.Rxa5 Rxb5 19.Rxb5 Qxb5 20.Bxf6 gxf6 ½-½ (31) Wojtaszek,R (2691)-Keymer,V (2630) Riga 2021 12...Nxg4 13.Ne5 f5 13...Nxe5= 14.dxe5 Ra7 14.Nxg4! fxg4 15.axb5 Qf6 16.0-0-0 16.0-0 16...Bd7 16...Qxf2 17.Qe4 Qf5 18.Rhf1 18.bxc6 Na6± 18...Qxe4 19.Bxe4± 16...Qxd4? 17.Bb4!       17.Be3 Qf6± 17...Qxd1+ 18.Rxd1 axb4 19.Kb1+- 19.bxc6? Ra1+ 20.Kd2 Rd8+ 21.Ke3 Rdxd1-+ 16...Bb7= 17.Rhg1!± Be4 is the strong threat. White is more active. Black is now going downhill. 17.Qxc4 cxb5! 18.Qd3 Nc6 17...Ra7 17...Qxd4? 18.Be4 h5
19.Bb4!+-      
17...Qxf2? 18.Rdf1 Qxd4 19.Rxf8+ Kxf8 20.Rf1+ Ke7 21.Qh7+- 21.Qg6 Be8+- 17...h5± 18.b6+- Worse is 18.Qxc4 cxb5 19.Qd3 Bc6 18...Ra6 18...Rb7 might work better. 19.Be4 Weaker is 19.Qxc4 Rxb6 20.Be4 20.Bxa5 Rb5= 20...c5± 19...Qxh4 19...Be8 was necessary. 20.Rxg4 Bh5 20.f3 White is clearly winning. g3 21.Rh1 Qe7 22.Rdg1 Rf6 23.Rxg3 Kf8 24.Rhg1 Rxb6 25.Bxa5 Rb5
26.Rxg7! Qxg7 27.Rxg7 Kxg7 28.Bc7 This bishop pair is nice. Be8 29.Be5 Nd7 30.Bxc6 Nxe5 31.Bxe8 Nd3+ 32.exd3 Rg5 33.Qxc4 Rxf3 34.Qxe6 Black must now prevent d5. Rf2 35.Kb1 Rgg2 36.Qe7+ Kh8 37.Qb7 Weighted Error Value: White=0.06 (flawless) /Black=0.52
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Mamedyarov,S2776Keymer,V26551–02022E04FIDE Grand Prix-III Pool-B-TB 20221.1
Keymer,V2655Mamedyarov,S27761–02022D44FIDE Grand Prix-III Pool-B-TB 20221.2
Keymer,V2655Mamedyarov,S27760–12022D45FIDE Grand Prix-III Pool-B-TB 20221.3
Mamedyarov,S2776Keymer,V26551–02022E16FIDE Grand Prix-III Pool-B-TB 20221.4

So 1½ - ½ Shankland

A fierce competitor, Shankland was visibly disheartened after his loss against So. For a second tournament in a row, he almost made it into the knockout despite being the third-highest rated player in his pool. Only three weeks ago, the Californian failed to even reach a tiebreak after wild swings in the game between Etienne Bacrot and Dmitry Andreikin saw the latter getting what for much of the game seemed like a very unlikely first-place clinching victory.

Shankland had the white pieces in the first game and, despite finding himself a pawn down in the middlegame, fought hard in the ensuing complex struggle.

 
Shankland vs. So - Rapid Game #1

After 38.Nxb7 Bxf2 39.Kf1 Rxb2, So needed fifteen more moves to get the full point. In the diagrammed position, the cold-blooded engines suggest 38.b4, when White saves the b-pawn, getting therefore more chances to create counterplay.

In the second game, Shankland in fact got winning chances with the black pieces. So’s pragmatism and technical ability, however, allowed him to save a draw and win the match, thus gaining the right to face Amin Tabatabaei in the tournament’s semifinals.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.g3 Be7 5.Bg2 0-0 6.0-0 dxc4 7.Qc2 a6 8.a4 Bd7 9.Qxc4 Bc6 10.Bg5 Nbd7!       is now more promising than 10...Bd5. 11.Nc3 h6 12.Bd2 E05: Open Catalan: 5 Nf3 Be7. a5 13.Qd3 Bb4 14.Rfe1 The position is equal. Re8 15.Qc2
15...Bxf3N Predecessor: 15...Bxc3 16.bxc3 Be4 17.Qb2 Ra6 18.Red1 Bd5 19.Bf4 Rb6 20.Qc1 Bb3 21.Rd2 Nd5 ½-½ (37) Bhattacharjea,R (1863)-Fernandes,J (1866) ICCF email 2018 16.Bxf3 c6 17.Red1 Qe7 18.Be3 Rac8 19.Na2 Bd6 20.Bd2 Bc7 20...c5= 21.Nc3 21.b4 21...Bd6 22.e4 Black must now prevent e5. e5 23.Ne2 Bb4 24.Be3 Rcd8 25.h3 exd4 26.Nxd4 Qc5 But not 26...Nxe4 27.Nf5 Qe5 28.Bxe4 Qxe4 29.Qxe4 Rxe4 30.Bf4± 30.Bb6 Re1+ 31.Rxe1 Nxb6 27.Qb3 27.Bg2= 27...Qf8 Much less strong is 27...Nxe4
28.Ne6!       Qe7 29.Nxd8 Qxd8 30.Rac1±
27...Ne5 28.Qc2 Nc5 29.Nf5 Rxd1+ 30.Rxd1 Ncxe4 31.Bd4 g6 32.Ne3 h5 Prevents Ng4. 33.Nc4 Qe7 34.Bg2 Bc5 35.Bxf6 Nxf6 36.Nxa5
36...Qe2! 37.Qxe2 Rxe2 38.Nxb7 White is on the road to losing. 38.b4! Bxf2+ 39.Kf1 38...Bxf2+ 39.Kf1 Rxb2 40.Bxc6 Bxg3 41.a5 41.Nd6 41...Rf2+ 42.Kg1 Ra2 To avoid Ra1 43.Rf1 Kg7 44.Bb5? 44.Nc5 might work better. 44...Bh2+-+ 45.Kh1 Ne4 46.Rxf7+ Kh6 Stronger than 46...Kxf7 47.Bc4+ Ke7 48.Bxa2= 47.Rf3 Ng3+ 48.Rxg3 Bxg3       Endgame KRB-KBN 49.a6 Kg5 50.Nc5 Kh4 Hoping for ...Bb8. 51.Bf1 Bb8 Black mates. 52.Ne4 Ba7 53.Nc3 Rf2 54.Bg2 Rc2 Weighted Error Value: White=0.42/Black=0.09 (flawless)
0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Shankland,S2708So,W27720–12022E05FIDE Grand Prix-III Pool-C-TB 20221.1
So,W2772Shankland,S2708½–½2022D35FIDE Grand Prix-III Pool-C-TB 20221.2

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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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