Aravindh and Shankland share the lead

The Prague Chess Festival is not only about prize money and rating points, but each round also awards a prize for the best game of the day. In round one, this prize went to Vincent Keymer for his victory against Wei Yi.

However, things did not go as well for Keymer in his round-two game against Aravindh Chithambaram. He ran into a preparation by the Indian grandmaster and had to solve problems in the opening in a double-edged, rarely played and theoretically disreputable variation. The German prodigy found no antidote to his opponent's convincing play.

Keymer, Vincent2731

0–1

Aravindh, Chithambaram VR.2729

7th Prague Masters 2025 Prague CZE27.02.2025[Johannes Fischer]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 dxc4 3.Nf3 a6 4.e3 b5!? A rarely played, double-edged variation of the Queen's Gambit Accepted. Keymer is considered a very strong positional player, so Chithambaram seeks complications right from the start. 5.a4 Bb7 6.b3 Nf6 7.bxc4 b4 8.c5 Nc6 9.Qb3 e5 10.Bc4 Qd7

11.Bb2? Black's opening strategy has been a complete success, and after this move, Black gains the advantage. With the immediate counterattack 11.Ng5! White could have maintained the advantage. However, the position arising after Qg4 12.Bxf7+ Kd8 is highly double-edged, and it is understandable that Keymer did not want to explore it against a well-prepared opponent. But after the continuation 13.h4 h6 14.Be6 Qxg2 15.Nf7+ Ke7 16.Rf1 engines evaluate the position as slightly better for White. 11...exd4 12.Bxd4 Ne4 13.Qc2 Qg4 14.Be2

14...Nxd4?! This move secures Black a better endgame. However, engines indicate that after 14...Be7! Black would have a winning position, e.g. 15.Ne5 Qh4 16.0-0 Nxe5 17.Bxe5 Nxc5 Black has an extra pawn and an attack. But as Chithambaram noted after the game: "Who thinks of 14...Be7 in such a position?" 15.Nxd4 Qxg2 16.Bf3 b3! This intermediate move leads to favourable simplifications for Black. 17.Bxg2 bxc2 18.Nd2 Nxc5 19.Bxb7 Nxb7 20.Ke2

Black is a pawn up in the endgame and can safely play for a win. 20...Bb4 21.Rhc1 Bxd2 22.Kxd2 0-0-0 23.Rxc2 Rhe8 24.Rg1 g6 25.Rc6 Rd6 26.Rgc1 Rxc6 27.Rxc6 Nd6 28.f3 Even after 28.Rxa6 Kb7 29.Rc6 29.Ra5 Nc4+ 29...Ra8 30.f3 Rxa4 Black is clearly better. He remains a pawn up, and White's kingside pawns are weak. 28...Kb7 29.Rc5

29...Re5! 30.Rc2 c5 31.Ne2 Rh5 32.Ke1 Kb6 33.Nf4 Re5 34.e4 c4 35.Kd2 f5 36.Ke3 fxe4 37.Kd4 Re8 38.Kd5 Nf5 39.Rb2+ Ka5 40.fxe4 c3 41.Rb1 Rd8+ 42.Ke5 Ne3 43.Nd5 Nxd5 44.exd5 Kxa4 45.Ra1+ Kb3 0–1

The Keymer Variation - 1.Nf3 d5 2.e3

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It was a tough day at the office for Vincent Keymer | Photo: Petr Vrabec

The other four games of the round all ended in draws, so Aravindh, who saved a draw from a losing position against Thai Dai Van Nguyen in the first round, and Sam Shankland, who drew against Nguyen in round two without much difficulty, are joint leaders with 1½ out of 2 points.

Round 2 results

Standings

All games

Challengers: Yakubboev joins leading group

There was more excitement in the Challengers. The Uzbek grandmaster Nodirbek Yakubboev, the top seed, scored his first win of the event, as he beat Marc'Andria Maurizzi with black. The second win of the round was secured by Divya Deshmukh, who first put Czech IM Richard Stalmach under pressure with an attack and then converted her advantage in the endgame.

Divya Deshmukh2490

1–0

Stalmach, Richard2449

Prague Festival Challengers 2025 27.02.2025

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 d5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 Bd6 6.Bxd6 Qxd6 7.e3 Bf5 8.Qf3 Bg4 9.Qg3 Qb4 10.Rb1 0-0 11.Bd3 Nbd7 12.a3 Qa5 13.Nh3 c5 14.0-0 c4 15.Bc2 Bxh3 16.Qxh3 g6 17.f4 Kg7 18.g4 Rad8 19.g5 Ng8 20.f5 f6 21.Qg2 Ne7 22.Rf2 fxg5 23.Qxg5 Rf6 24.Rbf1 Rdf8 25.h4 Qb6 26.Bb1 Qc6 27.Ne2 Kh8 28.fxg6 Nxg6 29.h5 Ne7 30.Rxf6 Rxf6 31.Nf4 Qd6 32.Rf2 Rf8 33.Rg2 Qf6 34.Nxd5 Qf1+ 35.Kh2 Rg8

36.Bg6 Nxd5 37.Qxd5 Nf6 38.Qf5 Qxf5 39.Bxf5 Re8 40.Rg3 Nxh5 41.Rh3 Nf6 42.Kg2 Re7 43.Kf3 Rc7 44.Kf4 Nd5+ 45.Ke5 Nb6 46.e4 Na4 47.d5 Re7+ 48.Kd4 b5 49.d6 Rf7 50.d7 1–0

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Divya Deshmukh | Photo: Petr Vrabec

The other games in the round showed once again how difficult it is to win games from "winning" positions. For example, the Chinese grandmaster Ma Qun was clearly winning with black against the young Czech IM Vaclav Finek in the endgame, but then spoilt the position with a single inaccuracy.

Finek, Vaclav2478

½–½

Ma, Qun2645

Prague Festival Challengers 2025 27.02.2025[Johannes Fischer]

1.d4 d5 2.c4 c6 3.Nf3 Nf6 4.cxd5 cxd5 5.Nc3 Nc6 6.Bf4 a6 7.Rc1 Nh5 8.Bd2 Nf6 9.a3 Bf5 10.Ne5 Rc8 11.Nxc6 Rxc6 12.Qb3 Qc7 13.Na2 Rxc1+ 14.Nxc1 e6 15.Qa4+ Nd7 16.e3 Bd6 17.Bd3 Bxd3 18.Nxd3 Qc4 19.Qxc4 dxc4 20.Nb4 Nb6 21.Ke2 Kd7 22.Rc1 Rc8 23.Na2 Nd5 24.Nc3 f5 25.h3 h5 26.Rg1 Nf6 27.f3 e5 28.dxe5 Bxe5 29.Nd1 Ke6 30.Bc3 Rc6 31.Bxe5 Kxe5 32.Nc3 Rb6 33.Na4 Rb3 34.Rd1 f4 35.exf4+ Kxf4 36.Rd2 Kg3 37.Ke1 Re3+ 38.Kf1 Rd3 39.Rxd3 cxd3

In this endgame, Black is clearly winning: he has an extra pawn, an active king and a passed pawn on d3. However... 40.Nc3 d2 41.Kg1 b5 42.b3 g6 43.b4

43...g5? With this move, White is locked in the corner, and Black throws away the win. Better was 43...Kf4 e.g. 44.Kh2 h4 45.Nd1 Nd5 46.Kg1 Ne3 and Black wins. 44.Ne2+ Kh4 45.Nc3 g4 The natural move 45...Nd5 fails to 46.Kh2! with the idea of 47.g3#! g4 47.g3+ Kg5 48.Ne4+ Kf5 49.Nxd2 and White has regained the pawn, holding a draw. 46.hxg4 Nd5 47.Nd1 hxg4 48.fxg4 Nb6 49.Kf2 Nc4 and Black offered a draw. ½–½

Czech FM Jachym Nemec faced a similar situation. He was also clearly winning against the Greek GM Stamatis Kourkoulos-Arditis after a thrilling and combative game, but then let his opponent escape, leading to game to a draw.

Nemec, Jachym2433

½–½

Kourkoulos-Arditis, Stamatis2580

Prague Festival Challengers 2025 27.02.2025[Johannes Fischer]

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Nge2 Re8 6.a3 Bf8 7.d5 a5 8.Ng3 Na6 9.Be2 Nc5 10.b3 exd5 11.cxd5 c6 12.0-0 b5 13.dxc6 dxc6 14.Qc2 Be6 15.Rb1 b4 16.axb4 axb4 17.Nd1 g6 18.f3 Ra5 19.Bc4 Bxc4 20.Qxc4 Nd3 21.Bb2 Nxb2 22.Rxb2 Qd5 23.Qe2 Bg7 24.e4 Qd4+ 25.Kh1 Rd8 26.Rb1 Qd2 27.Ne3 Qxe2 28.Nxe2 Ra2 29.Nc1 Rad2 30.Nc4 Rc2 31.Ne3 Rc3 32.Nc4 c5 33.Re1 Bh6 34.Ne2 Rc2 35.Kg1 Nh5 36.g3 Rd3 37.Kf2 Bg7 38.e5 Rxb3 39.Rxb3 Rxc4 40.f4 Bf8 41.Rc1 Rxc1 42.Nxc1 Ng7 43.Rb1 c4 44.Ke3 h5 45.Ke4 h4 46.Na2 b3 47.Nc3 hxg3 48.hxg3 f6 49.Kd5 fxe5 50.fxe5 Nf5 51.Kxc4 Bg7 52.Re1 b2 53.g4 Ne7 54.Kc5 Kf7 55.e6+ Kf8 56.Ne4 Nc8 57.Nd6 Ne7 58.Rf1+ Kg8 59.Ne4 Bh6 60.g5 Bf8 61.Nf6+ Kg7 62.Ne8+ Kg8 63.Nf6+ Kg7 64.Nd7 Nf5+ 65.Nxf8 Kxf8 66.Rb1 Ke7 67.Rxb2 Kxe6

68.Rb6+? Hard to believe, but after this check, White's position no longer seems to be winning. White is up the exchange, the black pawn on g6 cannot be saved, but Black can set up a fortress. However, if White plays 68.Re2+ first, he can activate his king and win, for example: Kf7 69.Kd5 Ng7 70.Ra2 Nh5 71.Ra7+ Kf8 72.Ke6 Nf4+ 73.Kf6 Ke8 74.Ra4 Nd5+ 75.Kxg6 and White wins. 68...Ke5 69.Rxg6 Nd4 70.Rg8 Ne6+ 71.Kc6 Kf5 72.g6 Kf6 73.Kd7 Ng7 74.Kd6 Nf5+ Immediately 74...Kxg6 also leads to a draw. 75.Kd7 Ng7 76.Kd8 Ne6+ 77.Ke8 Ng7+ 78.Kd7 Nf5 79.Rf8+ Kxg6 80.Ke6 Nh6 81.Rf1 Kg5 82.Ke5 Ng4+ 83.Ke4 Nf6+ 84.Kf3 Kf5 85.Ke3+ Ke5 86.Rxf6 Kxf6 ½–½

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After two rounds, three players are joint leaders with 1½ out of 2 points: Ivan Salgado Lopez, Jonas Buhl Bjerre and Nodirbek Yakubboev.

Ivan Salgado Lopez | Photo: Petr Vrabec

Round 2 results

Standings

All games

Links

• Official site
• Two Knights Talk: Who will win in Prague?
• Robson beats Deac in exciting playoff, wins Prague Masters (2023)
• Harikrishna and Keymer clinch Prague Festival titles (2022)
• Shankland wins Prague Masters after dramatic final round (2021)
• Alireza Firouzja wins Prague Masters in blitz playoff (2020)
• Vitiugov victorious in Prague Masters (2019)