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When news of the quick draw in round seven came, it was controversial to say the least. The arbiters and organizers huddled and debated for over an hour and a half. Angry words were pronounced, all with understandable justification, but in the end, it was an enormous gamble. This was not a quick draw that guaranteed a spot among the final four, it was a draw that almost guaranteed a fight among ten players, two of whom are Top Ten themselves, for one single spot. David Smerdon even wrote a piece on the math of this decision, showing it to be unwise to say the least.
The grand playing hall where Millionaire Monday took place. It bears remembering that there
were semifinals and finals for each and every category prize
Maurice Ashley strolls down to check on the games, and make sure everything is up to standard
Still, if lack of fighting spirit was the feeling left by this limp effort, now only the fiercest gladiator was going to survive the ordeal, and in this respect, Hikaru Nakamura showed how tough he could be. It was not a crushing performance in which he dominated his rivals, but one in which he somehow pulled through the direst situations, and punished unrelentingly each opportunity he was given. This was the story of his qualification to the final four, and one that persisted into the semifinals.
The top semifinals
Samuel Sevian faced Holden Hernandez in the 2400-2549 semifinal. Holden went on to win,
and then defeated Marcin Tazbir in the final. Sevian took third, defeating Gil Popilski.
Of the three other finalists, Yu Yangyi was hardly the easiest pairing he could have. Playing in a mini-match of two games of 25 minutes, neither player was able to show any advantage, and both games ended in draw. This led to the first tiebreak, now a minimatch of 15 minute games, and here things nearly went very badly for the American.
After a grueling Playoff, Nakamura now faced Yu Yangyi in the semifinals
In his post-tournament interview, Nakamura readily admitted he had been dead lost, and had he actually succumbed, the chances were high that he would have been fighting for third place and not first. In game four though, he got his chance and milked it for all its worth, winning game four and making the final.
Anyone who happened to notice that he was coughing on occasion should know that he was also quite sick, hiding it well, making no excuses for himself, since excuses would be poor consolation for $50 thousand dollars, the difference between first place and second, and more so for third or fourth.
Jamie Lynn Olsen-Mills was the only woman in the finals, making the final match in the
under-1800 section, where she took second and $17 thousand. Great job and great hat!
Quang Liem Le on the other hand, was the player in form with a capital F. His play had been superb throughout the event, never in any danger, and having dominated the first seven rounds, had been able to rest up before Millionaire Monday to arrive fresh and strong.
Quang Liem Le was the one player who had never faltered throughout the event. Was he
to repeat the same success when he won the super-strong Aeroflot Open two years in a row?
To his good fortune, he also faced the least dangerous of the finalists, the ever-friendly Alex Lenderman, who was the only one not rated 2700. Of course, one could argue fairly that having made the last four, Lenderman was a proven danger, but so were his rivals, and they had a significant ratings edge to boot. While the young American's friends and fans wanted to read of heroic underdog performances, it was not to be. After losing his first game, he managed to reach a winning position in the second, but failed to capitalize, and the Vietnamese player, studying at Webster University, took the match 2-0.
It was a powerful performance by the Vietnamese, but Lenderman did get his chance in game two
The stage was set for the grand finale everyone had been fighting for and waiting for, the match for all the marbles, the match for the opulent $100 thousand first prize. In a sense, there was a certain irony in it. While Hikaru Nakamura, the current world no. 2 player, had reached this moment after no end of grit and tribulations, overcoming obstacle after obstacle, the lower-rated Quang Liem Le had been the one sweeping past his opponents one after the other in a sparkling performance. What would the final between the two hold? Game one set the tone.
The handshake that started the final
In spite of there being no question of Hikaru's favoritism before the games started, no one had expected this massacre in game one. The commentators rightly noted that this was the Nakamura everyone had been waiting for, and it now seemed as if he had saved it for last, when he needed it the most. This also placed enormous pressure on Quang Liem Le to play for a win at all costs, since anything less would mean victory for the American.
In the fight for third place, Yu Yangyi and Alex Lenderman played an extremely nervy match, in which nothing seemed to happen as expected. In game one, Lenderman was practically in zugzwang in the middlegame, yet Yu lost control so bad it was he who was facing imminent defeat, until Lenderman returned the favor and the Chinese player prevailed in the end. Yu Yangyi may regret not finding the win against Nakamura, but he did succeed in finishing third for the second consecutive year.
It wasn't only about the world's Top Ten, and players such as Rigoberto Rodriguez (left),
playing in his second tournament ever, won the under-1400 section for $24 thousand
For many, the entire thing was beyond belief. Khasen Levkin won the under-1600 section
for $30 thousand and was over the moon. The ebullient and very funny Russian ("I from Russia")
explained that he would be sending the wins to his family at home. A touching scene that is
guaranteed to put a smile on your face. See the video, the one on the Finals, and skip to 2:29:30.
The commentary of Tania Sachdev, Robert Hess, and Lawrence Trent (above), was both
entertaining and utterly democratic, giving due attention to all levels and not just the superstars
Yu Yangyi came in third for the second year in a row, defeating Alex Lenderman in their match
On the other hand, although Lenderman was no doubt disappointed at finishing fourth among the last four, he should go home with his head high, comforted by the knowledge that he did what giants such as Fabiano Caruana, Wesley So, and Gata Kamsky were unable to do: make it to Millionaire Monday with a chance to fight for the top prize... plus the $16 thousand dollars isn't too shabby either.
Hikaru Nakamura receives his check for $100 thousand from Maurice Ashley and Amy Lee
The post-event interview with champion Hikaru Nakamura
Maurice Ashley and Amy Lee are to be congratulated for proving this unique event was not
a one-off, improving on it, and promising a third edition next year. We can hardly wait.
For those grumbling the event did not award an actual million, know that during the closing ceremony the winners were squared off in a mini gameshow, for the right to choose a number from the large 64 square chess board behind them. If the correct one was chosen, the winner would take away a genuine $1 million. Although no one won this grand lottery, to his credit, Maurice Ashley was adamant about proving that one of the numbers did indeed hide that elusive winning million. He and Amy then awarded the 'loser' with an all-expenses invitation to next year's edition of the Millionaire Chess.
Links
The games are being broadcast live on the official web site and on the chess server Playchess.com. If you are not a member you can download a free Playchess client there and get immediate access. You can also use ChessBase 13 or any of our Fritz compatible chess programs. |
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