Speed Chess Championship: So defeats Duda

by André Schulz
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.e41,177,40254%2421---
1.d4954,68955%2434---
1.Nf3284,54356%2441---
1.c4183,75756%2442---
1.g319,82356%2427---
1.b314,51754%2428---
1.f45,93148%2377---
1.Nc33,87350%2384---
1.b41,77748%2379---
1.a31,24554%2406---
1.e31,07649%2409---
1.d396450%2378---
1.g467046%2361---
1.h446554%2381---
1.c343651%2426---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411759%2462---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39267%2511---
1.Na34762%2476---
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 c5 5.Nge2 cxd4 6.exd4 d5 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.Nxc3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 0-0 10.0-0 Nc6 11.Be3 b6 12.Qf3 Bb7 13.Bd3 Rc8 14.Rad1 Rc7 15.Qh3 Ne7 16.d5 This pawn sacrifice is a common idea in these IQP ("Isolated Queen Pawn") positions. But the engines have other ideas: 16.Bg5 Ng6 17.Bxg6 hxg6 18.Rfe1 followed by the rook lift Rfe1, Re3, Rg4, Rh4. 16...Nexd5 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.Bg5 Threatening mate. h6 18...g6? 19.Qh4 19.Bxh6 Of course! gxh6 20.Qxh6 Qe7 21.Rfe1 The wrong rook! Now Black can defend. Correct was 21.Rde1 and after Bc4 White has 21...Rd8? 22.Re3 22.Bf5! e.g. after 22.Re3 Bxd3 23.Rxd3 Ng4 24.Rg3 f5 25.h3 Qf6 26.Qxf6 Rxf6 27.hxg4 fxg4 28.Rxg4+ White remains a pawn up. 22...Bxf1 23.Re3 exf5 The only way to prevent the mate. 24.Qg5+ Kh8 25.Rxe7 Nh7 26.Qe3 Rxe7 27.Qxe7 Bc4 28.Qxa7 with a complicated endgame in which White's queenside pawns might give him the better chances. 21...Rd8 22.Re5? Overlooking Black's defensive resource! 22.Qg5+ Kf8 23.Qh6+ Kg8 leads to a draw. 23...Ke8? 24.Bb5+ 22.Bf5!? is answered with Rd6 23.Re3 Bf3= 22...Be4 23.h4 Rc5 23...Bg6 ist einfacher 24.Be2 Rxd1+ 25.Bxd1 Qd6 24.Qg5+ Kh8 25.Qh6+ Bh7 26.Rg5 Rg8 27.b4 Rd5 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2770Duda,J27430–12020E42chess.com Speed 20202.13

But in the 3+1 section So clearly dominated the young Polish Grandmaster.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 d5 6.cxd5 exd5 7.a3 Bd6 8.Nge2 Re8 9.Qc2 a6 10.h3 b6 11.b4 Nbd7 12.0-0 c5 13.bxc5 bxc5 14.Rb1 c4 15.Bf5 g6 16.Bxd7 Bxd7 17.g4? White is worse and should have more modest ambitions. 17.Ng3 17...Nxg4 17...Bxg4 18.hxg4 Nxg4 is equally good. 18.hxg4 Qh4 19.Ng3 Bxg4 20.Rb6 Bf3 20...Bf3 21.Rxd6 Qh3 und 22.-- Qg2# 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Duda,J2743So,W27700–12020E48chess.com Speed 20202.22

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

The bracket

Games of the match

 
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1.e41,177,40254%2421---
1.d4954,68955%2434---
1.Nf3284,54356%2441---
1.c4183,75756%2442---
1.g319,82356%2427---
1.b314,51754%2428---
1.f45,93148%2377---
1.Nc33,87350%2384---
1.b41,77748%2379---
1.a31,24554%2406---
1.e31,07649%2409---
1.d396450%2378---
1.g467046%2361---
1.h446554%2381---
1.c343651%2426---
1.h328956%2420---
1.a411759%2462---
1.f310047%2427---
1.Nh39267%2511---
1.Na34762%2476---
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.f3 e5 7.Nb3 Be6 8.Be3 Nc6 9.Qe2 Na5 10.0-0-0 Nc4 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Kb1 Qc7 13.Qe1 b5 14.Bxc4 bxc4 15.Nd2 Rb8 16.Nf1 Qb7 17.Bc1 0-0 18.Ne3 Rfc8 19.g4 Rc6 20.Ncd5 Bd8 21.Nxf6+ Bxf6 22.Qc3 Qb5 23.Qa3 c3 24.b3 Bd8 25.Nd5 a5 26.Rd3 Rbc8 27.Rhd1 h6 28.h3 Kh7 29.f4 exf4 30.Bxf4 Bh4 31.Bxd6 a4 32.Qb4 Qa6 33.Be5 axb3 34.axb3 Ra8 35.Bxc3 Bg5 36.Ne3 Qa7 37.Qd4 Qa2+ 38.Kc1 f6 39.Kd2 Rac8 40.Ke2 Qa6 41.Kf2 Bxe3+ 42.Rxe3 Qb7 43.Rdd3 Qc7 44.Kg2 Qf7 45.Rf3 Qg6 46.e5 f5 47.Rg3 Rf8 48.Qf4 Rf7 49.g5 h5 50.Rd6 Rfc7 51.Rxc6 Rxc6 52.Kh2 Bd5 53.Qd4 Be4 54.e6 Rxe6 55.Qe3 Re7 56.b4 Qd6 57.g6+ Kg8 58.Qc5 Qxc5 59.bxc5 f4 60.Rg5 Bxc2 61.Rxh5 Re2+ 62.Kg1 f3 63.Re5 Rg2+ 64.Kh1 Bxg6 65.Re3 Bh5 66.c6 Rg6 67.c7 Rc6 68.Kh2 Rxc7 69.Kg3 Rf7 70.Be1 Rf5 71.Bf2 Kh7 72.h4 Rf6 73.Re4 Rg6+ 74.Kf4 Rg2 75.Ke3 Kg6 76.Re5 Rh2 77.Rg5+ Kh6 78.Rf5 g6 79.Rf6 Kg7 80.Rf4 Rh1 81.Rd4 Ra1 82.Kf4 Ra5 83.Rd7+ Kf6 84.Kg3 Ke6 85.Rd4 Ke5 86.Rf4 Ra2 87.Bd4+ Kd5 88.Bf2 Re2 89.Rd4+ Ke5 90.Rb4 Rd2 91.Rb5+ Ke4 92.Rb4+ Kf5 93.Rf4+ Ke5 94.Rb4 Ra2 95.Rc4 Kd5 96.Rd4+ Kc6 97.Rc4+ Kb5 98.Rd4 Ra8 99.Re4 Rd8 100.Rf4 Re8 101.Rd4 Kc6 102.Rc4+ Kd5 103.Rd4+ Ke5 104.Rf4 Rd8 105.Rc4 Rd2 106.Rc5+ Ke4 107.Rc4+ Kd5 108.Rc5+ Kd6 109.Rc4 Ra2 110.Rd4+ Ke6 111.Re4+ Kf5 112.Rf4+ Ke5 113.Rc4 Kd5 114.Rd4+ Kc6 115.Rc4+ Kd7 116.Rd4+ Ke7 117.Re4+ Kf6 118.Rf4+ Ke5 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2770Duda,J2743½–½2020B90chess.com Speed 20202.11
Duda,J2743So,W27701–02020C42chess.com Speed 20202.12
So,W2770Duda,J27430–12020E42chess.com Speed 20202.13
Duda,J2743So,W27700–12020C50chess.com Speed 20202.14
So,W2770Duda,J2743½–½2020B90chess.com Speed 20202.15
Duda,J2743So,W27701–02020C50chess.com Speed 20202.16
So,W2770Duda,J27431–02020B92chess.com Speed 20202.17
Duda,J2743So,W27700–12020C50chess.com Speed 20202.18
So,W2770Duda,J27431–02020E38chess.com Speed 20202.21
Duda,J2743So,W27700–12020E48chess.com Speed 20202.22
So,W2770Duda,J2743½–½2020E37chess.com Speed 20202.23
Duda,J2743So,W2770½–½2020E49chess.com Speed 20202.24
So,W2770Duda,J27431–02020D78chess.com Speed 20202.25
Duda,J2743So,W27700–12020A29chess.com Speed 20202.26
So,W2770Duda,J27431–02020D77chess.com Speed 20202.27
Duda,J2743So,W27700–12020D41chess.com Speed 20202.28
So,W2770Duda,J27431–02020A44chess.com Speed 20202.29
Duda,J2743So,W27701–02020D40chess.com Speed 20202.31
So,W2770Duda,J27431–02020D45chess.com Speed 20202.32
Duda,J2743So,W27700–12020D41chess.com Speed 20202.33
So,W2770Duda,J27430–12020A60chess.com Speed 20202.34
Duda,J2743So,W27701–02020C36chess.com Speed 20202.35
So,W2770Duda,J27430–12020E60chess.com Speed 20202.36
Duda,J2743So,W27700–12020C25chess.com Speed 20202.37
So,W2770Duda,J2743½–½2020B47chess.com Speed 20202.38
Duda,J2743So,W2770½–½2020A45chess.com Speed 20202.39

All games of the Speed Chess Championship

 
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Translation from German: Johannes Fischer

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

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