Speed Chess Championship, Semifinals: Nakamura defeats So

by André Schulz
12/10/2020 – On Wednesday, December 9, Hikaru Nakamura and Wesley So played the first semi-final of the chess.com Speed Chess Championship. The match was close but in the end Nakamura's skills in bullet chess helped him to a narrow 13½-12½ win. On Saturday, he will play in the final, either against Magnus Carlsen or against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave who will face each other in the second semi-final on Friday, December 11. | Picture: chess.com
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Speed Chess Championship: Hikaru Nakamura vs Wesley So

Despite a slow start Nakamura, who celebrated his 33rd birthday on the day of the match, won the 5+1 mini-match 5:4. With two wins So took an early lead but with wins in a row Nakamura won the first stage of the match.

 
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1.e41,174,61854%2421---
1.d4952,91955%2434---
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Rg1 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.g4 Nc6 9.g5 Nd7 10.h4 Rc8 11.h5 Be7 12.Be3 Na5 13.g6 fxg6 14.hxg6 h6 15.Nd5 Nxb3 16.axb3 Nf6 17.Bc4 Nxd5 18.Bxd5 Qd7 19.c3 0-0 20.Qg4 Rf6 21.0-0-0 Rd8 22.Qh5 Bxd5 23.Rxd5 Rdf8 24.Bxh6!? A slightly speculative sacrifice but a good option in blitz. 24.Rd3! to prepare Bxh6 was a good alternative. 24...gxh6 25.Qxh6 Bd8 26.Rd3 Qg7 27.Qh3 Bb6 27...Rxg6!? 28.Rdg3 Bg5+ 29.Kb1 Rxf2 30.Qh5 Qh7 31.Qxh7+ Kxh7 32.Rxg5 Rxg5 33.Rxg5= 28.Rg2 d5 29.exd5 e4 30.Rdg3 Re8 31.Kb1 Bxf2? 31...Rxf2= 32.Qh7+ Qxh7 33.gxh7+ Kh8 33...Kxh7 34.Rh3# 34.Rg8+ Kxh7 32.Qh7+ Kf8 32...Qxh7 33.gxh7+ Kxh7 34.Rh2+ Rh6 35.Rxf2 Rg6 36.Re3+- 33.Rh3 Qg8 33...Qxh7 34.gxh7 Kf7 35.h8Q Rxh8 36.Rxh8 34.Qxb7 With nasty threats. Qxg6 and Black resigned at the same time. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2770Nakamura,H27361–02020B90chess.com Speed 20203.14
 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 0-0 6.Qe2 d6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Bg3 Nh5 10.Nbd2 Qf6 11.h3 Ne7 12.Nh2 Nf4 13.Bxf4 gxf4 14.0-0-0 a6 15.Bc4 b5 16.Bb3 b4 17.Ng4 Qg7 18.cxb4 Bxb4 19.Nf3 a5 20.g3 a4 21.Bc4 Ng6 22.Rhg1 Bxg4 23.hxg4 a3 24.g5 c6 25.Kb1 Ra5 26.gxf4 d5 26...exf4 27.gxh6 Qxh6 28.Rxg6+ Qxg6 29.Rg1 does not help Black. 27.gxh6 Qxh6 28.exd5 cxd5 29.Bb3 Qxf4 30.Nxe5 Kg7 31.Rg4 Black resigned. After 31...Qf6 32.Nxg6 fxg6 33.Rxb4 White is a piece up and Black has no compensation. 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Nakamura,H2736So,W27701–02020C65chess.com Speed 20203.15

But in the 3+1 portion of the match Wesley So was the dominating player and won 4½:3½. 

The seventh game of this series was particularly turbulent.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.c3 d5 6.exd5 Qxd5 7.Bc4 Qd6 8.Qe2 8.b4 Bb6 9.a4 0-0 10.Nbd2 Bf5 11.Ba3 1/2-1/2 (30) Robson,R (2673)-So, W (2770) Lichess.org INT 2020 8...0-0 9.Bg5 Bf5 10.Bxf6 Qxf6 11.Nbd2 Bb6 12.Ne4 Qe7 13.Ng3 Bg6 13...Be6= 14.h4 h6 15.h5 Bh7 16.Nh4 Rad8? 16...Kh8 17.Ng6+- Qg5 18.Ne4 Qxg2 19.0-0-0 Bxg6 20.hxg6 Qxg6 21.Rdg1 White is two pawns down but has a powerful attack. Qf5 22.Rxh6 Qf4+ 23.Qd2 Qxe4 24.Rhg6 Qh4 25.Rxg7+ Kh8 26.R7g4 Or 26.Qg5! Qxg5+ 27.R7xg5 and Black cannot prevent the mate. 26...Qh7 27.Qg5 f6 28.Qh4 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2770Nakamura,H27361–02020C65chess.com Speed 20203.27

Thus the score was tied at 8½:8½ before the last stage of the match, the bullet blitz with a time control of 1+1. Nakamura's skills in bullet chess are legendary and in this match he again showed why he is considered the world's best or second best player in this discipline. He won four of the first seven games to take a big lead and though Wesley So caught up at the end, this was not enough and Nakamura narrowly won the match.

On Friday, December 11, 18:00 CET, 9 a.m. Pacific, Magnus Carlsen and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will play the second semi-final. On Saturday, December 12, 18:00 CET, 9 a.m. Pacific, the winner of this match will face Nakamura in the final.

Live commentary with IM Daniel Rensch and GM Robert Hess

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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