Fischer Random World Championship: Nakamura and Nepomniachtchi advance to the final

by Klaus Besenthal
10/30/2022 – In the semi-finals of the Fischer Random World Championship in Reykjavik Hikaru Nakamura (pictured) came to a clear win against Nodirbek Abdusattorov: Nakamura won 3-0 and will face Ian Nepomniachtchi in the final. Nepomniachtchi lost the first game in his match against Magnus Carlsen but then hit back: He won all of the remaining three games to win the match 3-1. So the final on Sunday (16.00 CET, 11.00 ET, 15.00 GMT) is now "Naka against Nepo". | Photos: FIDE / David Llada
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Fischer Random World Championship

In the match for the World Championship match against Carlsen in 2021 Nepomniachtchi collapsed after losing the dramatic sixth game. But in the semi-finals of the Fischer Random World Championship Nepomniachtchi managed to come back after his loss in the first game of the match.

Nepomniachtchi, who once again impressed with the speed of his play, won games two and three of the match and thus needed only a draw in game four to advance to the final. In the end, Nepomniachtchi even won the game after Carlsen missed a couple of good chances.

 
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1.Ng3 f6 2.c4 c5 3.Nb3 b5 4.cxb5 c4 5.Nd4 e5 6.Nf3 g6 7.h3 d5 8.Bh2 Qxb5 9.0-0 Nb6 10.e3 Be6 11.b3 0-0 12.bxc4 Qxb1 13.Rxb1 dxc4 14.Ne4 h5 15.Bc2 Be7 16.Rb5 Nf7 17.Rfb1 Rfd8 18.Ra5 Rd7 19.Nc3 Kg7 20.Nb5
After 20 moves the position looks more and more "normal". 20...Nd5?! 20...Rc5! to exploit the slightly awkward position of White's rook on c5 offered better chances for an advantage, e.g. 21.Ra6 Bd5 22.Nxa7 Bxf3 23.gxf3 Rxd2 24.Rbxb6 Rxc2 25.Nc6 c3 26.Nxe7 Rb2 27.Rc6 Rbb5 28.a4 c2 29.axb5 c1Q+= The engines give this position as equal but in a game between humans in can, of course, go either way. 21.a3?! White misses the surprising tactical shot 21.Nbd4! After exd4 22.Nxd4 Bf5 22...Nc7 23.Rxa7 Bd5 24.Ba4 23.Nxf5+ gxf5 24.Bxf5+- White is winning. 21...Bc5 Now, Black has good chances again. 22.Ra6 Bb6 23.e4 The position is complicated and the alternative 23.Nxa7 might have been better, e.g. Ra8 24.Rbxb6 Nxb6 25.Rxb6 Rd6 26.Rxd6 Nxd6 27.Nc6 Rxa3= with a difficult position. White's pieces are not in harmony but White should not lose. 23...Nc7 24.Nxa7 Nxa6 25.Nxc8 Bc5 26.Nb6 Rd8 27.Nd5 Nd6?! It is hard to explain why Black did not play 27...Bxd5 28.exd5 Rxd5 Material is equal but it is White who has to defend. After the text-move White manages to solve most of his problems. 28.d3 cxd3 29.Bxd3 Nb8 30.a4 Nd7 31.Nd2 Ba7 32.Nb3 g5?! Better was 32...f5 with an equal position. 33.Kf1 Bxd5 34.exd5 Nb6 35.Na5
35...Nxa4? White is better but this blunder costs Black a piece and the game. 36.Nb7 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nepomniachtchi,I2793Carlsen,M28561–02022World FRC Championship-KO 20224.1

Getting a kind of revenge: Ian Nepomniachtchi

This time Magnus Carlsen found no recipe against Nepomniachtchi's quick play

In recent years Hikaru Nakamura played less tournament chess but has focused instead on his career as a chess streamer, and as "GMHikaru" he now regularly entertains and instructs hundreds and thousands of fans on Twitch and YouTube.

This success allows him a more relaxed approach to tournament success: About the Fischer Random World Championship he said that he is neither interested in the money nor the title, but simply wants to play chess for the fun of it.

However, this relaxed attitude seems to bring him success, and in his one-sided semi-final match against Nodirbek Abdusattorov he sometimes seemed to win with effortless ease, e.g. in game 2. 

 
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1.f4 f5 2.g4 g6 3.Nab3 Nab6 4.Nd3 d6 5.gxf5 gxf5 6.Bh4 c5 7.Qxg8 Rxg8 8.Na5 Kc7 9.b4? Too impatient. Better was first 9.c4= to prepare b2-b4. 9...c4! 10.Ne1 Bf7 11.Nf3 c3 12.a3 h6 13.e3 Nd5 14.Nd4 Bxd4 15.Bxd5?! Better was 15.exd4 Ncb6 16.0-0-0 Black is better but White can still fight. 15...Bxd5 16.exd4 Rg2 Now White is in serious trouble. 17.dxc3 Rxh2 18.Bg3 Rh3 19.Be1 Nb6 20.Rg1 Rg8 21.Rxg8 Bxg8 22.0-0-0 h5
Black's passed pawn on the h-file and his active rook guarantee him a winning position. 23.Bf2 h4 24.c4 This looks like desparation. Bxc4 25.d5 Bxd5 26.c4 Bxc4 27.Re1 Kd7 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Abdusattorov,N2713Nakamura,H27680–12022World FRC Championship-KO 20222.1

The beginning of the match

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Klaus Besenthal is computer scientist, has followed and still follows the chess scene avidly since 1972 and since then has also regularly played in tournaments.
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