Showdown in STL: Fabi, Yifan winners

by Alejandro Ramirez
11/16/2015 – Blitz is a dangerous game. The balancing act of time pressure, putting aggression on your opponent and not blundering anything is extremely tricky. Fabiano Caruana, usually not considered one of the top players in the world in this modality, showed that he can hang on with the big boys, won the blitz and the match! Meanwhile, nothing went right for Negi, and Hou Yifan emerged victorious.

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Final Day - Blitz Games

The Blitz Games were played at a 3+2" rhythm, which is rapidly becoming the standard blitz time control for tournaments. At one game a piece, the blitz games counted heavily towards the final score.

Caruana vs. Nakamura

Blitz is a dangerous game. The balancing act of time pressure, putting aggression on your opponent and not blundering anything is extremely tricky. Hikaru Nakamura is considered by many to be the best blitz player in the World, and if not that, at least top three. However, Fabiano Caruana had something to say about this - and even though he was not the favorite going into the last day of the Showdown in Saint Louis, he proved that he can play with the best of the best.

The action was staggered, with Nakamura vs. Caruana starting as soon as Negi vs. Hou Yifan finished

Caruana dealt the first blow in game one. After a beautiful deflection early in the game, Black emerged up a pawn and had excellent winning chances. Nakamura kept holding on, and in the chaos of the time scramble even managed to get some chances to hold on. However, he failed to see the path, and Caurana’s passed pawns were too much for him to handle.

Caruana ready to deliver a big blow with Bg4!

It was clear that Caruana wasn’t satisfied with just one win. He came in strong in the second game as well, getting a decisive advantage but failing to see the killing shot. His king became very weak, and again in a game that was decided in the final seconds, Nakamura took a perpetual after missing a key win.

The third game was all about Black yet again. Caruana’s position was already superior from the opening, and in a very fine positional style, specially for a three minute game, he simply blew Nakamura off the board. The final winning tactic was nice.

Nakamura came back in game four. Caruana’s was overzealous in his pawn grab, and in what should have been a drawish knight endgame, he ended up trapping his own minor piece. Nakamura’s king came over to the queenside, collected the stranded knight, and won the game.

Nakamura was nursing a cold and was unable to keep up with Caruana in the blitz

The fifth blitz game came with a bit of a controversy. In a superior position, Caruana tried to promote his pawn. He pushed it to the eighth rank, and went to grab a queen. Unfortunately, he accidentally hit the clock before replacing the pawn. Nakamura claimed illegal move but Tony Rich, the arbiter, ruled that since it was an unintentional clock touch that the game should go on. At the end Nakamura held his own in a difficult position and drew the game.

Nakamura played strangely in the sixth game. In a must win position, he simply crumbled as Caruana’s knights galloped all over the board. Nakamura’s bishops never had any activity and they died entombed. With that win Caruana cemented his victory in the match!

White tried to win an opposite colored bishop in the seventh game, but Caruana would not let go of his position and ended up drawing after 151 moves!

Caruana missed a tactical blow in the eighth game that gave Nakamura a final win, but it was all over by then. Caruana takes the Saint Louis Showdown!

Negi vs. Hou  Yifan

The final blitz day was truly tragic for Negi. He was unable to convert many strong advantages and even lost on time once in an unlosable position.

Yifan started strong with an unexpected novelty in the main position of the Sicilian Dragon. She was better through most of the game, but Negi held on.

The top female player in the World truly showed her class in Saint Louis

The Indian player clearly outplayed his counterpart in game two. His strong position in the queen and bishop endgame was sufficient for a huge advantage, but in severe time trouble he collapsed and blundered into a simply losing pawn endgame.

Negi was quite lucky to draw the third game, however, as Yifan should have converted in that game. Her pawns on the queenside were very strong and Negi survived by a miracle in the final endgame.

The games were very intense, with many crazy attacks

In the fourth game, Negi was up a piece. He had tricked Hou Yifan nicely and had a totally winning position. However, disaster occurred. In time pressure he confused himself, made things difficult, and instead of accepting a draw he thought too long and lost on time!

Maurice Ashley, Jennifer Shahade and Yasser Seirawan again provided superb commentary

After two draws, Negi was able to take game seven for some consolation prize, but the match was certainly over by then. Despite Hou Yifan’s crushing victory, it was probably a closer match than what the score dictates.

Congratulations to the winners, Hou Yifan and Fabiano Caruana!

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MoveNResultEloPlayers
1.e41,184,21554%2421---
1.d4958,93255%2434---
1.Nf3286,32756%2441---
1.c4184,72256%2443---
1.g319,88456%2427---
1.b314,59854%2428---
1.f45,95348%2377---
1.Nc33,90650%2384---
1.b41,79048%2378---
1.a31,25054%2406---
1.e31,08149%2409---
1.d396950%2378---
1.g467046%2361---
1.h446654%2382---
1.c343951%2425---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411860%2461---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39267%2511---
1.Na34762%2476---
1.Nf3 Nf6 2.b3 g6 3.Bb2 Bg7 4.d4 d5 5.g3 0-0 6.Bg2 Ne4 7.0-0 c5 8.Nfd2 Bf5 Aggressive play by Black here is justified since White's opening is rather passive. I even enjoy Caruana's positino more already. 9.Nxe4 Bxe4 10.f3 Bf5 11.e4? A mistake already! dxe4 12.fxe4 Bg4! What a nice deflection! Black wins a pawn and takes control of the game. 13.Qd3 13.Qxg4 Bxd4+ 14.Bxd4 Qxd4+ costs White an exchange. 13...Bxd4+ 14.Bxd4 Qxd4+ 15.Qxd4 cxd4 16.e5 Nd7 17.Rf4 Nxe5 18.Na3 Rad8 19.Bxb7 g5 20.Rf2 d3 21.cxd3 Nxd3 22.Rc2 Ne5 23.Rf1 f6 24.Bg2 Rc8 25.Rfc1 Rxc2 26.Rxc2 Rd8 27.h3 Rd1+ 28.Kf2 Bf5 29.Re2 Bd3 30.Rb2 Ba6 31.Ke3 Re1+ 32.Kd4 Nd3 33.Rd2 e5+ 34.Kc3 Rc1+ 35.Rc2 Rg1 36.Rd2 Ne1 37.Bd5+ Kg7 38.g4 Rg3+ 39.Kb4 Rxh3 40.Ka5 Bd3 41.Rd1 Nc2 42.Nxc2 Bxc2 43.Rc1 Rh2 44.b4 e4 45.Re1 Bd3 46.a4 f5 47.gxf5 Kf6 48.b5 g4 49.Ka6 Ke5 50.Bc6 Ra2 51.a5 g3 52.Kxa7 Rxa5+ 53.Kb6 Ra2 54.Kc7 Ra7+ 55.Kb8 Rg7 56.b6 g2 57.Rg1 Kd6 The players only had seconds at this point. Caruana is winning, but with only two second increment anything can happen. 58.Ba8 Rg8+ 59.Ka7 e3? 60.f6? 60.Bxg2!± 60...e2? 60...Rxa8+! 61.Kxa8 Be4+ 62.b7 Ke6-+ 61.f7 Rf8 62.b7 Rxf7! 63.Kb6 Rf8 64.Ka7 Rf7 65.Kb6 Rf8 66.Ka7 Be4 66...Be4 67.b8Q+ Rxb8 68.Kxb8 Bxa8 69.Kxa8 Ke5 and Black just brings his king in and wins. 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nakamura,H2793Caruana,F27870–12015A05Showdown Blitz 20151
Caruana,F2787Nakamura,H2793½–½2015B52Showdown Blitz 20152
Nakamura,H2793Caruana,F27870–12015A05Showdown Blitz 20153
Caruana,F2787Nakamura,H27930–12015C00Showdown Blitz 20154
Nakamura,H2793Caruana,F2787½–½2015A48Showdown Blitz 20155
Caruana,F2787Nakamura,H27931–02015C00Showdown Blitz 20156
Nakamura,H2793Caruana,F2787½–½2015A07Showdown Blitz 20157
Caruana,F2787Nakamura,H27930–12015C67Showdown Blitz 20158
Negi,P2664Hou,Y2683½–½2015B35Showdown Blitz 2 20151
Hou,Y2683Negi,P26641–02015B53Showdown Blitz 2 20152
Negi,P2664Hou,Y2683½–½2015B32Showdown Blitz 2 20153
Hou,Y2683Negi,P26641–02015B53Showdown Blitz 2 20154
Negi,P2664Hou,Y2683½–½2015B34Showdown Blitz 2 20155
Hou,Y2683Negi,P2664½–½2015B47Showdown Blitz 2 20156
Negi,P2664Hou,Y26831–02015B31Showdown Blitz 2 20157
Hou,Y2683Negi,P2664½–½2015B19Showdown Blitz 2 20158

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Photos by Austin Fuller

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Grandmaster Alejandro Ramirez has been playing tournament chess since 1998. His accomplishments include qualifying for the 2004 and 2013 World Cups as well as playing for Costa Rica in the 2002, 2004 and 2008 Olympiads. He currently has a rating of 2583 and is author of a number of popular and critically acclaimed ChessBase-DVDs.

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