Two clearly winning positions that were not converted

There could have been two clear winners in the second round of the semifinals: Fabiano Caruana quickly obtained a winning position by playing a novelty, while a little later Vincent Keymer also reached a winning position after initially making good use of Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu's inaccurate play in severe time trouble.

Mastering Chess Strategy Vol.1-3

Become a master of chess strategy – get Robert Ris’s complete bundle now at a special price!
Become a master of chess strategy – get Robert Ris’s complete bundle now at a special price!

Vincent Keymer | Photo: Lennart Ootes

But after Caruana allowed So to escape with a draw, Keymer even managed to lose his winning position.

The winner commented on what had happened:

The loser was understandably less pleased.

Master Class Vol.20 - Bent Larsen

In this video course experts examine the games of Bent Larsen. Let them show you which openings Larsen chose, where his strength in middlegames were, how he outplayed his opponents in the endgame & you’ll get a glimpse of his tactical abilities!
Bent Larsen (1935–2010) was the greatest chess player in Danish history, and for a time, the second-strongest player in the Western world behind Bobby Fischer. Between 1954 and 1971, he won the Danish Championship six times, and achieved numerous international tournament victories throughout his career. 
Free video sample: Introduction to Bent Larsen by Peter Heine Nielsen
Free video sample: Introduction to the Opening Section

Photos: Lennart Ootes

In the second game of the day, Caruana uncorked a spectacular novelty in the Berlin Defence of the Ruy Lopez:

Caruana, however, did not look as assured as usual – much as had been the case at the Sinquefield Cup. He continued for several moves with his strong preparation, but when So deviated with ...f5?! and followed up with several other suboptimal moves, Caruana used up a great deal of time despite his position becoming increasingly favourable. Between moves 24 and 33, he let his entire advantage slip away, allowing So to escape with a draw. After So had failed to make use of a large opening advantage in the first round, the roles were therefore reversed in game two.

The Scotch Game

Besides in-depth theory and exciting tactical exercises in the Scotch Game, this video course also includes a bonus section on the Scotch Gambit (1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Bc4), a lively variation often leading to very dynamic positions.

Wesley So was far from pleased and had to fight hard after Fabiano Caruana's novelty. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Semifinal results, classical games, round 2

After the two draws between So and Caruana, the pair played an additional blitz game. So avoided a repeat of the line from the game they had just finished, but was still unable to generate sufficient counterplay. The game was used to determine the winner of the first phase. Caruana received two points for his victory and will therefore take a narrow 8-6 lead into the upcoming rapid and blitz phases.

While that matchup still appears fairly open, Keymer already faces a daunting task: Praggnanandhaa leads 9-3 and is regarded as the clearly stronger rapid and blitz player. Keymer's results at the faster time controls this year have been far from good. He was unable to score many points in those sections at either the GCT or Norway Chess.

Understanding Middlegame Strategy Vol.14 Reversed Colour Systems – Benoni, Blumenfeld and Benko Gambit

You will learn how Black's dynamic piece activity and structural counterplay more than compensate for White's extra tempo in the colour-reversed setups.
The Benoni family of openings has toppled world champions, decided match games under the highest pressure, and rewarded those brave enough to play them with some of the most electrifying chess imaginable. In this Fritztrainer, Grandmaster Ivan Sokolov -  continuing his successful series "Understanding Middlegame Structures" - takes you deep inside the complexities of the Colour-Reversed Benoni, the Colour-Reversed Benko Gambit, and the Colour-Reversed Blumenfeld Gambit.
Free sample video: Introduction
Free sample video: Colour Reversed Banoni - Game 1

Wesley So lost to Fabiano Caruana in the bonus blitz game. The GCT Finals now move on to the rapid and blitz phases. | Photo: Lennart Ootes / GCT

All games

Links

• Grand Chess Tour
• Saint Louis Chess Club
• World Chess Hall of Fame