11/20/2020 – In the first third of the quarterfinal Speed Chess Championship match between Wesley So and Jan-Krzysztof Duda, the young Polish player kept his own in the 5+1 blitz games, and in bullet he was even slightly better. But this was not enough because So dominated Duda in the 3+1 blitz games, which helped So to win the match 16-10 and to qualify for the semifinals. | Picture: Chess.com
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Speed Chess Championship, Quarterfinal: Wesley So vs Jan-Krzysztof Duda
In the first match of the quarterfinals of the Chess.com Speed Chess Championship Wesley So faced Jan-Krzysztof Duda. In the round of the last 16, Duda had eliminated Vice World Champion Fabiano Caruana, not least to his skills in bullet blitz, and against So Duda again showed how strong he is on the very short distance by winning the bullet portion of the match 5-4. But that was not enough to make up for the deficit he suffered in the 3+1 section of the match.
The first part of the match, in which 5+1 blitz games were played, ended with a 4-4 tie. A particularly interesting encounter in this section was game 3:
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1.d4Nf62.c4e63.Nc3Bb44.e3c55.Nge2cxd46.exd4d57.a3Bxc3+8.Nxc3dxc49.Bxc40-010.0-0Nc611.Be3b612.Qf3Bb713.Bd3Rc814.Rad1Rc715.Qh3Ne716.d5This pawn
sacrifice is a common idea in these IQP ("Isolated Queen Pawn") positions.
But the engines have other ideas:16.Bg5Ng617.Bxg6hxg618.Rfe1
followed by the rook lift Rfe1, Re3, Rg4, Rh4.16...Nexd517.Nxd5Bxd518.Bg5Threatening mate.h618...g6?19.Qh419.Bxh6Of course!gxh620.Qxh6Qe721.Rfe1The wrong rook! Now Black can defend.Correct was21.Rde1and afterBc4White has21...Rd8?22.Re322.Bf5!e.g.after22.Re3Bxd323.Rxd3Ng424.Rg3f525.h3Qf626.Qxf6Rxf627.hxg4fxg428.Rxg4+White remains a pawn up.22...Bxf123.Re3exf5The only way
to prevent the mate.24.Qg5+Kh825.Rxe7Nh726.Qe3Rxe727.Qxe7Bc428.Qxa7with a complicated endgame in which White's queenside pawns might give
him the better chances.21...Rd822.Re5?Overlooking Black's defensive
resource!22.Qg5+Kf823.Qh6+Kg8leads to a draw.23...Ke8?24.Bb5+22.Bf5!?is answered withRd623.Re3Bf3=22...Be423.h4Rc523...Bg6ist einfacher24.Be2Rxd1+25.Bxd1Qd624.Qg5+Kh825.Qh6+Bh726.Rg5Rg827.b4Rd50–1
But in the 3+1 section So clearly dominated the young Polish Grandmaster.
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1.d4Nf62.c4e63.Nc3Bb44.e30-05.Bd3d56.cxd5exd57.a3Bd68.Nge2Re89.Qc2a610.h3b611.b4Nbd712.0-0c513.bxc5bxc514.Rb1c415.Bf5g616.Bxd7Bxd717.g4?White is worse and should have
more modest ambitions.17.Ng317...Nxg417...Bxg418.hxg4Nxg4is
equally good.18.hxg4Qh419.Ng3Bxg420.Rb6Bf320...Bf321.Rxd6Qh3
und22.--Qg2#0–1
In the 3+1 part of the match Duda drew games three and four but lost all of the remaining seven games and was trailing 5-12 when the bullet games started. In the bullet games Duda was narrowly ahead but this was not enough to save the match: in the end So won 16-10 and qualified for the semifinals.
Wesley So published two new opening DVDs: 1.b3, the so called Nimzo-Larsen-Attack, for White and his black secrets in the modern Italian. Get them in a package and save money!
Live replay of the match
Commentary by GM Robert Hess and GM Daniel Naroditsky
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