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Ian Nepomniachtchi became the clear winner of the Levitov Chess Week tournament after collecting 12½ points in the 18 rounds of the double round-robin, rapid event. The Russian grandmaster had also won the inaugural edition back in 2019.
Aditionally to ending the tournament a whole 2 points ahead of second-placed Levon Aronian and Peter Svidler, Nepo was the player who signed (by far) the fewest number of draws. On his way to victory, the 2-time Candidates’ champion collected 11 wins, 3 draws and 4 losses. Curiously, all three of his draws were played on Monday.
Going into Tuesday’s final four rounds, Nepo was sharing first place with Svidler. The compatriots remained tied for first place in rounds 15 and 16 (they both scored a win and a draw in those two rounds, in that order). However, Nepo grabbed back-to-back wins in the deciding rounds, while Svidler lost twice in a row, to Aronian and Shakhriyar Mamedyarov respectively.
By scoring two wins and two draws on Tuesday, Aronian caught up with Svidler on a 10½/18 score. A half point further back, Vishy Anand grabbed clear fourth place with a +2 score.
The Levitov Chess Week just finished in Amsterdam. Certainly one of the most enjoyable events to compete in. Many thanks to Adele Levitova and Ilya Levitov for their organisation and hospitality. #LevitovChessWeek
— Viswanathan Anand (@vishy64theking) September 26, 2023
A great atmosphere — Levon Aronian sitting opposite living legend Ljubomir Ljubojević | Photo: Lennart Ootes
The one loss Nepo suffered on Tuesday came in round 15, against the ever-creative Daniil Dubov. Nepo’s 4...h5 led to the following double-edged position — 6..g5 was a novelty
After 7.Nxe4, Black’s best alternative is 7...dxe4 8.Nxg5 Qd5 9.f4, and White is better but a long fight is likely to take place.
Instead, Nepo’s 7...gxh4 gave way to 8.Nc3 e6 9.e4, as White immediately tries to open up lines to make the most of Black’s weakened structure.
Soon after, Dubov gave up a piece to get a winning attack in an already clearly superior position. Black’s king is extremely vulnerable on f8, with all three queenside pieces still on their initial squares.
13.dxe6 allows 13...fxe5, but after 14.Qf3+, White’s much better developed army and his passer on the e-file make for a deadly combination. Dubov needed only ten more moves to force Nepo’s resignation.
Daniil Dubov | Photo: Lennart Ootes
