Superbet Poland: So and Duda share the lead

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
5/23/2023 – Wesley So and Jan-Krzysztof Duda are sharing the lead after six rounds at the rapid section of the Superbet tournament in Poland. So and Duda have collected 9 points each, and have already faced each other — in their round-6 direct encounter, So failed to make the most of a clear advantage. Levon Aronian stands in sole third place, while a winless Magnus Carlsen stands 4 points behind the co-leaders, on 5/12. | Photo: Lennart Ootes

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Winless Carlsen on 5/12


Find expert commentary — video and game annotations — by well-known coach and author IM Robert Ris at the end of the article.


Two days into the Superbet Rapid & Blitz Tournament in Warsaw, Wesley So and Jan-Krzysztof Duda are sharing the lead with 9 points each (a win is worth 2 points in the rapid). After scoring two wins each on Sunday, both So and Duda won their round-5 games to reach their current plus-3 score. In their direct encounter from round 6, So got a clear advantage but failed in conversion, allowing his opponent to escape with a perpetual check.

Former co-leader Levon Aronian stands in sole third place with 8/12 points. Aronian drew all three of his games on day 2, including his round-5 game against Magnus Carlsen. Much like Aronian, Carlsen drew his three games on Monday. The world champion in rapid and blitz stands on 5/12 a full 4 points behind the leaders.

On the final day of rapid action, before 18 rounds of blitz are played on Wednesday and Thursday, Carlsen will face the Romanian trio of Bogdan-Daniel Deac, Kirill Shevchenko and Richard Rapport. Out of the three, Rapport is the one ranked highest in the standings, with 6/12 points.

Rapport has missed a number of chances throughout the first six rounds. He later told Cristian Chirila regarding his plans for the third day of rapid:

I would hope actually not to be winning — just to make draws without being winning, which sounds like a happy person’s plan (smiles).

Richard Rapport

Richard Rapport | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Rapport and Duda play imaginative opening

Two of the most creative players in the elite circuit reached the following position in the first round of the day.

Rapport vs. Duda

The Vienna Game can lead to such unlikely setups. Rapport missed a chance to get more from his offbeat opening on move 11, but by this point had nothing better than to enter a forcing line that led to a draw by perpetual check.

Garry Kasparov, who visited the tournament hall in Warsaw, was among the many spectators who enjoyed the short-yet-sensational struggle.

Superbet Chess Poland

The playing hall in Warsaw | Photo: Lennart Ootes

So’s missed chance

So could have ended the day as the sole leader, had he converted a position an exchange up against Duda in round 6. Once So faltered, though, Duda found the nice drawing recourse that saved him a point in the standings.

Duda vs. So

White has no way to escape a potential perpetual check. A narrow escape by Duda!

Jan-Krzysztof Duda

Jan-Krzysztof Duda | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Carlsen’s technical test

In round 4, Carlsen reached this position with white against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. The Frenchman knew it would be hard for the Norwegian to convert the endgame with two knights against a pawn.

Carlsen vs. Vachier-Lagrave

Carlsen tried until move 93 when a draw was finally signed. The peculiar position prompted Douglas Griffin to share an excerpt from Grigory Levenfish’s memoirs, which tells the story of Emanuel Lasker and José Raúl Capablanca struggling with this very endgame!

Magnus Carlsen

A fashionable Magnus Carlsen | Photo: Lennart Ootes


Expert analysis by IM Robert Ris

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1.d4 d5 2.Bf4 Nf6 3.e3 c5 4.c3 Nc6 5.Nd2 e6 6.Ngf3 Nh5 7.Bg5 f6 8.Bh4 g6 9.h3 9.g4 9.Bd3 9...cxd4 10.cxd4 10.exd4?! Bd6 10...Bd6 11.Bd3 0-0 12.0-0 12.a3 1/2-1/2 (41) Firouzja,A (2749)-Esipenko,A (2677) Wijk aan Zee 2021 12...Bd7 13.Re1 Qb6 14.a3 Ng7 14...Qxb2? 15.Nb3 Qc3 16.Qb1! 15.b4 Nf5 16.Bxf5 exf5 16...gxf5?! 17.Nb3 17.Nb3 Ne7 18.Nc5 Rad8 18...Bxc5? 19.dxc5 19.Rc1 Bc8 20.Qb3 Kg7 21.Nh2 21.Nd2 21...g5 22.Na4 Qb5 23.Bg3 Bxg3 24.fxg3 Qd7 25.Rc2 Qd6 26.Nf1 b6 27.Nc3 27.Rec1 Bd7 28.Rc7 Rc8 27...Bd7 28.b5 Rc8 29.Rec1 Rc7 30.Ne2 Rfc8 31.Rxc7 Rxc7 32.Rxc7 Qxc7 33.Nd2 Be8 34.Kf2 Bf7 35.Qc3 Qd7 35...Qxc3 36.Nxc3 36.a4 Qc8 37.Qxc8 Nxc8 38.Nc1 Kf8 39.Na2 Be6 40.Nb4 Ne7 41.Nb1 Ke8 42.Nc3 Kd7 43.Ke1 Kd6 44.Kd2 Bc8 45.Kc2 Bd7 46.Nd3 Be6 47.Kb3 Nc8 48.Nb4 Ne7 49.Nd3 Nc8 50.a5 Kc7 51.Nb4 bxa5 51...Ne7 52.Na6+ 52.Nc6? Kb6 52...Kd6 53.Nc5 Nb6 53...Kc7?? 54.Nxe6+ 54.Nb7+ Kc7 55.Nxa5 h6 55...Kd6 56.Nc6 a6= 56.Kb4 Bd7 57.Kc5 Be6 58.Nc6 Nd7+ 59.Kb4 a6 60.Ne7 axb5 61.Nxb5+ Kd8 62.Nc6+ Kc8 63.Ka5 Nf8 63...Nb8 64.Nxb8 Kxb8 65.Kb6+- 63...Bf7? 64.Nd6+ Kc7 65.Nxf7 Kxc6 66.Nxh6 63...Bg8 64.Ne7+ 64.Nb4 Ng6 64...Kd7 65.Nc3 f4 66.gxf4 gxf4 67.Nbxd5 fxe3 68.Nxe3 f5 69.d5 f4 70.Nc4 f3 70...Bd7 71.dxe6 71.gxf3 Bxh3 71...fxg2 72.Ne2 Kd8 73.Kb4 Nf4 74.Ng1 74.Nxf4?? g1Q 74...Ke7 75.Kc3 h5 76.Nd2 Kxe6 77.Kd4 h4 78.Ndf3 Nxh3! 78...Kf5 79.Ke3 Ne6 79...Ng6 80.Ne2 79...Nd5+ 80.Kf2 Nf4 81.Ne1 Ke5 82.Nxg2 Nxh3+ 82...Nxg2?? 83.Kxg2+- 83.Nxh3 80.Nd4+ 79.Nxh3 g1Q+ 80.Nfxg1 Kd6 81.Nf3 Ke6 82.Kc5 Kd7 83.Kd5 Kc7 84.Ne5 Kb6 85.Kc4 Kb7? 85...Ka6 85...Ka5 86.Kb5! Kc7 87.Nc4 87.Kc5! Kb7 88.Nc4 Kc7 88...Ka6 89.Kc6 Ka7 90.Nd6 Ka6 91.Nb7! Ka7 92.Nc5 Kb8 93.Kd7 Ka8 94.Kc8 Ka7 95.Kc7 Ka8 96.Nf4 h3 97.Nd5 h2 98.Nb6+ Ka7 99.Nc8+ Ka8 100.Nd7 h1Q 101.Ndb6# 89.Nb6 Kb7 90.Nd5 Ka6 91.Kb4‼ Kb7 92.Kb5 Kc8 93.Kc6 Kd8 93...Kb8 94.Nb4 Kc8 95.Nd3 Kd8 96.Kd6 Kc8 96...Ke8 97.Ne5 Kd8 98.Nf7+ Ke8 99.Ke6 Kf8 100.Nd6 97.Nc5 Kd8 98.Nb7+ Kc8 99.Kc6 Kb8 100.Nd6 Ka7 101.Kb5 Kb8 102.Kb6 Ka8 103.Nf4 h3 104.Nd5 h2 105.Nc7+ Kb8 106.Na6+ Ka8 107.Nb5 h1Q 108.Nbc7# 94.Kd6! Kc8 94...Ke8 95.Nf6+ Kf8 96.Ke6 Kg7 97.Nd7 Kg6 98.Nf8+ Kh5 99.Kf5 Kh6 100.Ne6 Kh7 101.Kf6 Kg8 102.Kg6 Kh8 103.Nhg5 h3 104.Kf7 h2 105.Nf8 h1Q 106.Ng6# 95.Nb6+ Kb7 96.Nc4 Ka6 96...Kc8 97.Na5 Kd8 97...Kb8 98.Kd7 Ka7 99.Kc6 Kb8 100.Nc4 Kc8 101.Ne3 Kb8 102.Nf5 Kc8 103.Ne7+ Kb8 103...Kd8 104.Kd6 Ke8 105.Nc6 Kf7 106.Ke5 Kg6 107.Ke6 Kg7 108.Ne5 Kf8 109.Kd7 Kg7 110.Ke7 Kh6 111.Kf6 Kh7 112.Kf7 Kh6 113.Ng4+ Kh5 114.Ne3 Kh6 115.Kf6 Kh5 116.Nf4+ Kh6 117.Ng4+ Kh7 118.Kf7 h3 119.Ne6 h2 120.Nf8+ Kh8 121.Nf6 h1Q 122.Ng6# 104.Kb6 98.Nb7+ 97.Kc6 87...Kd7! 88.Kb6 Ke6 89.Kc6 Kf5 90.Ne3+ Ke4 91.Ng2 Ke5 92.Nxh4 Kf6 93.Ng5 Kxg5 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2853Vachier Lagrave,M2742½–½2023D00Superbet Rapid 20234

Standings - Round 6 (win = 2 pts; draw = 1 pt)

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All games - Rapid

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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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