Sinquefield Cup: Dominguez joins the lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
8/21/2021 – Leinier Dominguez was one of four winners in Friday’s fourth round at the Sinquefield Cup in Saint Louis. Dominguez beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave’s Najdorf Defence to join Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So in the lead of the standings. Meanwhile, Richard Rapport, Sam Shankland and Dariusz Swiercz all scored their first wins of the tournament. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

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Fighting games, decisive results

For a second day in a row at the Sinquefield Cup, four out of the five games played in the Saint Louis Chess Club finished decisively, with all the results favouring the white player. On Friday, Leinier Dominguez scored his second win of the event — he also beat Swiercz in the first round — to join Fabiano Caruana and Wesley So in the lead of the standings.  Meanwhile, Richard Rapport, Sam Shankland and Swiercz all obtained their first wins of the tournament.

There has been no lack of excitement at the eighth edition of the top US tournament. The fighting nature of the games has translated into entertaining broadcasts and a high percentage of decisive results (for an elite tournament), as 12 out of the 20 games played so far in the second-largest city of Missouri finished decisively.

With Rapport, Shankland and Swiercz all getting their first wins on Friday, 8-time Russian champion Peter Svidler was left at the bottom of the standings table. It must be noted that Svidler was booked as a commentator for this tournament, but a number of pandemic-related cancellations prompted the organizers to include him in the lineup. Nonetheless, we can expect the experienced grandmaster to recover from his subpar start in the second half of the event — the players will get a rest day on Sunday.

Peter Svidler

Not at all disheartened — multiple Russian champion and commentator extraordinaire Peter Svidler | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Caruana and So were sharing the lead with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave after three rounds. The US stars were paired up against each other and drew a tense 53-move encounter. MVL, in the meantime, was playing his pet Najdorf Defence with black against Dominguez, a strong theoretician in his own right.

Amid a sharp tactical battle, Dominguez went for it on the kingside on move 25.

 
Dominguez vs. Vachier-Lagrave

25.h5 Qe6 26.hxg6 hxg6 followed. Black could have tampered White’s attacking chances by trading queens with 26...Qxe4, although that would have left him with a rather tough defensive task ahead after 27.gxf7+ Rxf7 28.Bxe4.

After the text, Dominguez grabbed a pawn with 27.Qxf4 and eventually broke through. This was the position on the board a few moves later.

 

The retreating 31.Qe1 was a precise final touch by Dominguez, planning to give a check from e6 — 31...Bf6 32.Rh6 Qb7 33.Qe6+, and MVL resigned with mate-in-4 on the board.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Be3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.f3 Be7 9.Qd2 0-0 10.0-0-0 Nbd7 11.g4 b5 12.g5 Nh5 outshines the older 12... b4. 13.Kb1 B90: Sicilian Najdorf: Unusual White 6th moves, 6 Be3 Ng4 and 6 Be3 e5. Nb6 14.Na5 Rc8 15.Nd5 White is slightly better. Nxd5 16.exd5 Bxd5 17.Qxd5 Qxa5 18.c4 Nf4 19.Bxf4 exf4 20.h4 Qa4
21.Bd3!N h5 is the strong threat. An important novelty. Predecessor: 21.b3 Qb4 22.Bd3 bxc4 23.Qe4 g6 24.Bxc4 Qc3 25.Rc1 1/2-1/2 (47) Kryvoruchko,Y (2693)-Van Wely,L (2674) Monzon 2016 21...bxc4
22.Qe4 g6 23.Bc2 Qd7 23...Qe8!= remains equal. 24.h5!± Qe6
Not 24...Bxg5? 25.hxg6 Rce8 26.Qd4+- 26.gxh7+ Kh8± 25.hxg6! hxg6 25...Qxe4 26.gxf7+ Kxf7 27.Bxe4 Rh8 26.Qxf4 Intending Qh4 and mate. Inferior is 26.Qd4 Qe5 26...Qe5 27.Qh4 White has strong compensation. Qg7 28.Rd2 And now Rdh2 would win. White attacks with force. Rc5
29.f4 Strongly threatening Rdh2. f6? 29...Rb8 30.b3 cxb3 31.Bxb3 Ra5 30.Rdh2 fxg5 31.Qe1 White threatens Qe6+ and mate. Bf6 32.Rh6 Qb7 33.Qe6+ Double Attack. Weighted Error Value: White=0.02/Black=0.63
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Dominguez Perez,L2758Vachier Lagrave,M27511–02021GCT Sinquefield Cup 20214.5

Leinier Dominguez, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave

Game over — Leinier Dominguez vs Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Rapport also won by coordinating a kingside attack with the white pieces. 

 
Rapport vs. Svidler

26.Ng4 followed, and Svidler’s king was visibly in trouble. Soon enough, more white pieces joined the fun.

 

It was the right time to create more attacking lines: 30.f5 Ra6 31.f6 cxd4 32.cxd4 Bf8 33.Qxg3 Nd2 34.Qh4 Ne4

 

Black is lost: 35.Nh6+ Bxh6 36.Qxh6 Nxf6 37.exf6 Qg3+ 38.Bg2, and resigns. Svidler can escape the immediate checkmate with 38...Qe3+ 39.Qxe3 Rxe3, but White is already a piece up — and Rxb7 is coming!

 
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1.g3 d5 2.Nf3 Nd7 3.d4 Nb6 4.a4 a5 5.Nc3 Nf6 6.Bg2
D02: 1 d4 d5 2 Nf3 sidelines, including 2...Nf6 3 g3 and 2...Nf6 3 Bf4. 6...Bf5N Predecessor: 6...h6 7.0-0 Bf5 8.Nh4 Bh7 9.f4 e6 10.f5 Be7 11.Bh3 Qd7 12.Qd3 Qc6 1/2-1/2 (63) Firouzja,A (2749)-Wojtaszek,R (2705) Wijk aan Zee 2021 7.Nh4 e6 8.Nxf5 White is slightly better. exf5 9.Qd3 Qd7 10.0-0 Bb4 11.Nd1 0-0 12.f3 Rfe8 13.Nf2 Qe6 14.Bg5 Nc4 15.c3 Bf8 16.Rae1 Nxb2 17.Qc2 Nc4 18.e4 h6 18...Qc6 keeps more tension. 19.e5 Nd7 20.Bh3 h6 21.Bc1 Ndb6 19.Bxf6 Qxf6 20.e5 Qe6 21.f4 h5 22.h3 g6 23.g4 hxg4 24.hxg4 fxg4 And now ...c6 would win. 25.Qd1 g3 25...Be7= 26.Ng4± White has strong compensation. Bg7 27.Bh3 27.Ne3± 27...Qb6 27...Qe7!= remains equal. 28.Qd3 c5 29.Rb1 Qc7 A mistake that costs the game. 29...Qd8!= and Black has nothing to worry. 30.f5+- Ra6 31.f6 cxd4 32.cxd4 Bf8 33.Qxg3 Hoping for Qh4. Nd2
34.Qh4! Ne4? Inferior is 34...Nxb1 35.Nh6+ Bxh6 36.Qxh6 Rxf6 37.exf6 Qg3+ 38.Kh1 Qxh3+ 39.Qxh3 34...Nxf1± 35.Rxf1 Qc3 35.Nh6+ White is clearly winning. Bxh6 36.Qxh6 Nxf6 37.exf6 Qg3+
38.Bg2! Weighted Error Value: White=0.16/Black=0.55 Stronger than 38.Kh1 Rxf6 39.Rxf6 Re2=
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Rapport,R2763Svidler,P27141–02021GCT Sinquefield Cup 20214.3

Richard Rapport, Jovana Vojinović

A good-looking couple — Richard Rapport and Jovana Vojinović | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Shankland and Swiercz scored wins over markedly higher-rated opponents, with the former defeating Shakhriyar Mamedyarov’s Berlin Defence and the latter beating Jeffery Xiong out of a sharp middlegame struggle in a Najdorf. Swiercz finished off his opponent in an endgame with queen and rook against queen and bishop.

 
Swiercz vs. Xiong

Swiercz found the forcing 52.Rxb2 cxb2 b4+

 

Both captures lead to losing pawn endgames for Black. Xiong resigned after 53...Kxb4 54.Qe7+.

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 h6 8.Bh4 Qb6 9.a3 Nbd7 B96: Sicilian Najdorf: 6 Bg5 e6 7 f4, lines other than 7...Qb6 and 7...Be7. 9...Qxb2? 10.Na4+- 10.Bf2 Qc7 10...Qxb2? 11.Na4+- 11.Bd3 b5 The position is equal. 12.Qe2 Bb7 13.0-0-0 Be7 14.Kb1
14...g6N 14...Nc5= Predecessor: 14...Nc5 15.Rhe1 0-0 16.g4 d5 17.exd5 Nxd5 18.Nxd5 Bxd5 19.Nf5 exf5 20.Qxe7 Qxe7 21.Rxe7 Nxd3 22.Rxd3 1/2-1/2 (35) Alvir,A (2341)-Kiss,A (2383) Austria 2015 15.Rhe1 Nc5 16.g4 g5 17.fxg5 hxg5 18.Bg3 0-0-0? 18...Nfd7= 19.Rf1!± Qb6 20.Nb3 Ncd7 20...Rhf8± 21.Bf2 21.a4!+- 21...Qc7 22.a4 bxa4 22...b4± 23.Nxa4+- Qc6 23...Rxh2 24.Bxa6 Ne5 24.Nc3 Rxh2 25.Na5 Qc7 25...Qc5 was worth a try. 26.Nxb7 Kxb7 27.Bxa6+ 27.Qe3 Ra8 27...Ka8 28.Nb5 Qc6 29.Nd4! Qb6
30.Rd3! Nc5 30...Qxa6 31.Ra3+- 30...Rb8 31.Bb5 31.Ra3 Black must now prevent Nc6! Kb8 32.Nf3? 32.Nb3+- is more deadly. Rxf2 33.Rxf2 Ncxe4 34.Nd4! 32...Rxf2± 33.Qxf2 Nfxe4? 33...Kc7± was called for. 34.Qe3!+- aiming for Rb3! 34.Qd4? Bf6-+ 34...Kc7
35.Nd4! Rb8 35...f5 36.Nb5+ 36.Bb5 f5 37.c4 37.gxf5?! e5+- 37...d5 Threatens to win with ...dxc4. 38.gxf5 e5 39.Nc6 Double Attack dxc4 40.Nxb8 Qxb5
41.Na6+! Nxa6
42.Rxa6 c3
43.Ra7+! Less strong is 43.Qa7+ Kc8± 43...Kb8
44.Ra8+‼ Decoy Kxa8 45.Qxe4+ Endgame KQR-KQB Ka7 46.Rf2 Bc5
47.Qd5! Kb6 48.Qe6+? White should try 48.Rh2+- Strongly threatening Qd8+. Qf1+ 49.Kc2 cxb2 50.Qe6+ 50.Kxb2 Bd4+ 51.Ka3 Qa1+ 52.Kb4 Qc3+ 53.Ka4 Qc6+ 54.Qxc6+ Kxc6+- 50.Rh6+ Kb5± 50...Kb5 51.Qb3+ 51.Kxb2 Bd4+ 52.Kc2 Kc5= 51...Bb4 52.Kxb2 Qxf5 53.Qd5+ Ka4 54.Qc4 48...Ka5!= 49.Rc2 Ba3? 49...Bd4= 50.b3+- Qc5 51.f6 Bb2 Hoping for ...Qg1+. 52.Rxb2 52.b4+ Qxb4 53.Qxe5+ Ka6 54.Qe6+ Ka5 55.Qe5+ Ka6 56.Qe2+ Ka5 57.Rxb2 52...cxb2
53.b4+! Promotion Kxb4 54.Qe7 Weighted Error Value: White=0.36/Black=0.63
1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Swiercz,D2655Xiong,J27101–02021GCT Sinquefield Cup 20214.1
Shankland,S2709Mamedyarov,S27821–02021GCT Sinquefield Cup 20214.4

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Dariusz Swiercz

Dariusz Swiercz | Photo: Lennart Ootes


Standings after round 4

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.

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