The Czech Wimbledon begins with wins for Duda, Vidit and Vitiugov

by Tanmay Srinath
2/13/2020 – It's only the second edition of the Prague Masters 2020, but everyone is already calling it the Czech Wimbledon! Jan-Krzysztof Duda is the top seed of the event and with a rating average of 2707, it is one of the strongest round robin events out there. At the last moment Wei Yi was replaced by Alireza Firouzja because the Chinese GM wasn't able to travel due to the Coronavirus. In the first round itself, three out of five possible decisive results meant that a lot of blood was spilled. | Photo: Vladimir Jagr
Learn the opening of the masters from one of the world's most popular master trainers! Daniel King shows you a rock-solid and powerful Najdorf repertoire.

Three decisive games in Round 1

The field of ten players for the Prague Masters 2020 is perfectly chosen — the experienced Navara, Harikrishna and Vitiugov have been here for a long time and are still scarily strong; the younger lot of Duda, Vidit, Shankland and Anton are looking for that next spike that will take them into inner circle of the world's best; while the young phenom Alireza Firouzja is a welcome addition to any tournament — his fighting spirit and enthusiasm towards every single game he plays is a treat to watch! Of course, let us not forget the dark horses of this tournament — Grandelius and Ragger have had extensive experience dealing with world's best and can thrash anyone on their day. This tournament promises to be a roller coaster ride!

Now, on to the games — I will first cover the decisive results and then take a look at the two draws. Before looking at the most instructive game of the round, it makes sense to give a puzzle for the readers to solve, from one of the games today — the answer will be given in the annotations to the game.

 
Vidit - Shankland, Round 1
Position after 15...c6

Hard to believe that a tactical shot exists here,but look at the ♜a8 and ♞b8, and calculate deep! White to play and demolish Black!

The participants of the Prague Masters 2020 | Photo: Vladimir Jagr

The setting of the playing hall | Photo: Prague Masters 2020

Navara - Duda 0-1

Easily the game of the round, and perhaps one of the games of the tournament! The sheer energy and power with which Duda has played this game is remarkable in itself, but the fact that his moves were of a very high accuracy throughout is commendable. Let's have a look.

 
Navara - Duda, Round 1
Position after 6.h3

Navara chose the 6.h3 Najdorf, and in response Duda went in for a Scheveningen setup, strategically more complex but also a riskier option when you are facing such an outstanding theoretician.

 
Position after 9...Be7

Perhaps the first critical moment, right out of the opening. 10.f4, played by Navara, is the most popular move in the position, but White is seemingly getting nothing out of the opening after Duda's imaginative idea. Can he do better? Check the notes to the game to see what move I feel is critical here.

 
Position after 11...g5

This was Duda's idea — Black takes control of the e5 square by either forcing White to capture on g5 or capturing on f4 and playing ♞e5. This is a typical idea in the Scheveningen. Here is one of the most interesting human machine conflicts. The computers claim this is better for White, but I was unconvinced, and as I have pointed out in my notes, Black gets good counterplay here.

 
Position after 12...gxf4

Which recapture is correct? Remember — this is a question that even a 2750 GM like Navara failed to answer correctly!

 
Position after 14...Nxe5

Black already has the superior strategic position, and this was White's last chance to play for equality. Instead, after David's incorrect 15.♘g3?, how did Duda punish him here?

 
Position after 20...Ba7

Duda didn't give White another chance to recuperate his losses, and the players reached this endgame that is practically lost for White. Note how Black's bishop pair and king are more effective than White's tall pawn on g2 and weak king on e2.

 
Position after 29...f5

Calculate till the end after 29...f5!

 
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This game is in my view one of the best games I have seen played in recent times! David Navara is no pushover, but the incredible accuracy and verve with which Duda plays this game shows that he is a serious candidate in the 2022 World Championship Cycle! 1.e4 c5 One of the best ways to start the tournament is to go all out immediately, which might surprise a few players, but in this case it is perhaps not unexpected - both players are known to be uncompromising! 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 Duda is a known expert on the Najdorf, so it is not a big surprise to see him go for this. The onus was on David here - will he go for the sharpest lines or will he attempt to play it safe? He chose the former in this game. 6.h3 Out of the many possible moves that have been played a decent amount of times, this move has scored the best. It attempts to play g4 and Bg2, and if Black pushes e5 to move the knight to e2 and then play Nc3-d5 and Ne2-c3, cementing the knight on d5. e6!? The first interesting decision - Duda chooses a Scheveningen setup, which is definitely sharper and strategically more complex, but also slightly risky. 6...e5 is the main move, and here White typically goes 7.Nde2 7.Nb3!? is actually not a stupid move, inviting Black to be precise - Be7! is the only clear way to equalise here. 7...h5?! is now a serious mistake, as White has 8.Bg5! Be6 9.f4! Be7 9...Nbd7 if now this then 10.f5! is strong. The point? c4 is now guarded by the Bf1! A very deep point! Bxb3 11.axb3± and White is clearly better here - Black has had to give up his good bishop and is seriously short on space. 10.Qf3 exf4 11.Bxf4 Nc6 12.0-0-0± with a very comfortable middlegame. 7...Be6 is interesting, but in my view fails to fully equalise - 8.f4 b5 9.Qf3 Nc6 10.g4 Rc8 and now the interesting 11.Qg2!?N Seems to give White slightly better chances. 8.Be3 Be6 9.Qf3 0-0 10.g4 a5 11.a4 Na6 12.0-0-0 Rc8∞ 7...h5! I guess one of the reasons the 6.h3 Najdorf dropped in popularity is because of this move, simply stopping g4. There is a similar idea in the English Attack as well, and Black seems to be doing well in both cases. 8.g3 is best - 8.Bg5 is not so good here - the point is that Be6 9.f4 9.g3 is an alternative, but fails to impress - Be7 10.Bg2 b5 11.Bxf6 Bxf6 12.Nd5 0-0= and Black is very comfortable here - it seems to me that he has gotten a good version of the typical Najdorf structure. 9...Nbd7! 10.f5 Bc4!= allows Black to equalise rather comfortably. 8...Be7 9.Bg2 b5 10.Nd5!? The only move to cause Black any problems at all. Nxd5 11.Qxd5 Ra7 12.Be3 Rb7 and here I came up with the interesting 13.g4!?N with an absolutely unclear game, where I would take White 8 times out of 10. 7.g4 h6 8.Bg2 Nc6 9.Be3 Be7 The last few moves are standard development. Now I feel comes the first critical moment in the game - Navara's next move is perhaps not the best. 10.f4 Harsh to call the main line a mistake, but it seems to me that Black is atleast equal after what Duda does in the game. I haven't had a lot of time to prepare the analysis for this game, but what struck me immediately was how efficiently Duda seemed to equalise. Thus, I spent some time with the engines here, preparing the notes to this game, and it turns out that White indeed has a better move - 10.Qd2!? which is a very rare idea, and hasn't scored all that well, but this is the preference of the NN Engines. The point is made abundantly clear in a few more moves. Ne5 11.0-0-0 This is taking the game into almost unchartered territory. b5! Black's best try to equalise. Here I came up with a possible line of play - The natural 11...Nc4 12.Qe2 Nxe3 13.Qxe3 is surprisingly not so clear - White has lost the bishop pair, but gained time - his play on the kingside will come surprisingly quickly Nd7 14.h4 Ne5 15.g5 Bd7 16.f4 Nc4 has all been forced and here the slightly unnatural 17.Qd3! Seems to give White a nagging edge. Of course all this needs to be deeply investigated, as I haven't had much time to prepare the notes to this game, but this seems promising for White. 12.b3!? If Black is unprepared here he will be punished swiftly after f4. Thus, the best way to counter-attack seems to be. g5 13.h4 Nfxg4 14.hxg5 Nxe3 15.Qxe3 Ng6! 16.Nc6 Is forced Bxg5 17.Nxd8 Bxe3+ 18.fxe3 Kxd8 Preceding play has been forced, and here 19.e5! Rb8 20.exd6 Seems to give White a pleasant endgame. Improvements can definitely be found for both sides, but this line somehow seems to fit. I remembered what Peter Leko said recently that earlier players used to reject lines that just gave 0.30 deep into the game on the premise that the computer is refusing to see the draw, but these days they investigate those lines deeply and seem to be torturing black! Of course he referred to the Petroff, but it could easily apply to the Sicilian as well. 10...Nd7! A very instructive idea, and a well known one in the Najdorf - Black plans the advance g5, sometimes giving up a pawn, but getting the e5 square, which more than compensates for the material minus. 11.Nf3!? A very rare idea, and in the opinion of all the engines not a really good one! 11.Qd2 is what Fat Fritz suggests here, but it also immediately spots Nxd4 12.Bxd4 e5 which equalises for Black after 13.Be3! Bh4+ 14.Ke2 Nb6 15.b3 exf4 16.Bxf4 0-0∞ and the weakness of the King on e2 means that White can never easily go after the d6 pawn. 11.Nxc6!? bxc6 Also doesn't give White much - 12.Qd2 Bh4+ 13.Bf2 Bxf2+ 14.Qxf2 Qb6 15.Qxb6 Nxb6= with a playable and equal position for Black. 11...g5!? A very instructive moment. The computers start screaming that White is better after this move, but as a human being with an element of common sense and positional understanding, I think this move effectively equalises for Black - atleast it is much easier to play his position now, as he has no weaknesses and a clear plan. 12.Ne2 12.Qe2 Fat Fritz kept asking me to play this move here. I don't really see the point - perhaps just clearing for 0-0-0, so I went in a little deeper, as it gave an evaluation of 56%, which is not a big advantage, but not negligible either. gxf4 13.Bxf4 Nce5 The point of the g5 advance is to get the e5 square for the knight. Here it is important to keep the Nd7 on its initial square and open the c-file so that the queen is reasonably active after Qc7. 14.0-0-0 Qc7 Now both sides maneuver to get the absolute max out of their position. 15.Qf2 b5 16.Rhf1 Rh7! important, as White was threatening to take twice on e5. 17.Kb1 Bb7 18.Nxe5 Nxe5 19.Ne2 Rc8 20.Nd4 20.Ng3 Ng6!∞ 20...Qc5 and it is prudent to stop here. Fat Fritz continues to give White around 0.60, but I really don't see how the advantage can be so big - for starters White doesn't have a single concrete threat in the position. Second - Black does have a concrete plan here of playing a5, b4, a4 and b3. Thirdly, both sides' play can be vastly improved by the dedicated analyst! This is a sample line that I have provided, as there is no time for me to check deeply what is the best move for both sides in each position, but this goes to show how one should not just trust the engine evaluation and investigate deeply - my guess is that here Black has his share of chances. 12...gxf4 13.Bxf4? It is correct to call this the first mistake of the game. This is a move that I would never even consider making, as it seems unnatural to me at best. 13.Nxf4! is far more natural, considering that Whtie has a juicy square on h5 and overprotects d5, while just improving the knight. I wonder why Navara didn't go for this. Qa5+ 14.c3 Nde5 15.0-0 Nc4 is my guess, but here White has the strong 16.Bf2! 16.Bc1 if you don't want to calculate - Qc5+ 17.Rf2 Bd7 18.Nh5∞ and I don't see how White is better here, but he is definitely not worse, and this position is playable for both sides. 16...Nxb2 17.Qe2! Na4 18.c4 with some initiative for the pawn. 13...Nde5! 13...Qa5+!? is definitely interesting, but I prefer Duda's move - 14.c3 Nde5 15.0-0 Nxf3+ 16.Bxf3 h5 and Black has enough counterplay. 14.Nxe5 Nxe5 15.Ng3? Mistakes rarely come alone. I see no point in the knight going to this square now - the real battle will come on the queenside and the knight is useless on g3. Like it or not, 15.Qd2! is perhaps the only way White can try to equalise here. Bh4+ 16.Bg3 Qg5! 17.Qxd6! White has to be brave here. 17.Qxg5? Bxg3+! 18.Nxg3 hxg5 is absolute torture for White - Black has no real weaknesses, a beautiful knight on e5, and quick play on the queenside. 17...h5! 18.Qd2 Qxd2+ 19.Kxd2 Bxg3 20.Nxg3 hxg4 21.hxg4 Rg8! and White has to struggle here to hold this inferior endgame. 15...Qb6! Duda plays like a monster in this game! 16.Bxe5 dxe5 17.Qf3 Bg5!? Duda's move is very natural, but I feel that this is perhaps his only innacuracy of the game. 17...Qa5+! is more precise - the White king is weaker than Black's, so it is better to keep the queens on the board - after 18.c3 Bd7 19.0-0 Rf8 20.Kh1 0-0-0! White should not survive this. 18.h4 Qe3+ 19.Qxe3 Bxe3 20.Ke2? The last real mistake of the game. The rest is pure carnage. 20.Nh5! is a better defense, but Navara's move is humanly understandable - improving the king with tempo. However, as we shall soon see, White had only this window to try and create threats urgently. Ke7 21.Rh3 Bd4 22.c3 Bb6 23.Rf3 White has placed his pieces effectively on the kingside, and now Black has to be precise - Rg8 24.Bh3 Bd7 25.Nf6 and Black is forced to find Bc6‼ 26.Nxg8+ Rxg8 27.Rg3 Bxe4 28.Bg2! White continues to create small threats. Bf5 29.Bxb7 Bxg4 30.Bxa6 f5 and although Black is better, White is not without his chances - see the 3 connected passed pawns on the queenside? Black has to be extremely precise to take home the point here, and I would fancy White to make it extremely difficult for Black to win here. Of course it is almost impossible to see all this over the board, but it is possible that Navara saw till Rf3 and rejected it as he failed to see how his position could be holdable. 20...Ba7! Important to take stock of the situation. White's position doesn't appear so bad at first sight - he has better development, a centralised king on e2 and can immediately occupy the d-file. However, his position is perhaps closed to lost already. Why? For starters, he has no active plan - his pawns on g4 and h4 are potential weaknesses. Secondly, he can never invade on the d-file as Black always protects the d7 and d8 squares. Thirdly, the doubled e-pawns are a boon for Black - they control sensitive squares and fix the e4 pawn on the colour of White's bishop. Most importantly, Black will soon start creating threats on both wings attacking the two weaknesses c2 and g4. This point is noteworthy! Had White been ridden with a single weakness, it would have been possible for him to defend. Two? Thats another matter altogether. Add this to the fact taht Black has got the bishop pair and White is effectively a piece down due to the tall pawn on g2, and you could understand why I call White's position practically lost! 21.Rad1 Bd7 22.Kf3 Ke7 Improving the king and connecting the rooks. 23.Rh2 Rhg8 24.Bh3 Ba4! Now starting to pin-prick the weaknesses of White's position. 25.Rhd2 Rac8 26.Bf1 Nice trickery by David, but Duda was not to be denied today! Rg6! Very nice, not falling for the two traps in the position and realising that White has a more glaring weakness on g4! 26...Rxc2?? 27.Rxc2 Bxc2 28.Rc1!= is suddenly fine for White. 26...Bxc2? 27.Rd7+ Kf8! 28.R1d6 suddenly makes Black's win much much harder. 27.Nh5 Bd4! A nice little move, performing two functions - targetting the b2 pawn and closing the d-file. 28.Bd3 Rcg8 29.Rg2 f5! Jan's the man here! A clinical finish to the game by the Poland No.1 30.exf5 Bc6+! 31.Ke2 exf5 32.Ng3 Bxg2 33.Nxf5+ Kf6 34.Nxd4 Rxg4! Black is a clear exchange up and winning on a canter. 35.Nf5 e4 36.Nxh6 Bf3+ Black cleans the house, and White resigned here. A demolition of the Open Sicilian by Jan Krzysztof Duda! 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Navara,D2717Duda,J27550–12020B81Prague Festival Masters 20201.5

Game of the day was definitely Navara vs Duda — Lubomir Kavalek makes the first move | Photo: Prague Masters 2020

Vitiugov - Anton 1-0

Vitiugov is the defending champion and would be looking for an encore at the second edition. His first round game against David Anton Guijarro was a comedy of errors, with Anton making the final mistake. Here are some of the highlights:

 
Vitiugov - Anton
Position after 14.Bd2

Best move for Black please.

 
Position after 17...Nh5

How should White play here — for equality or for an advantage?

 
Position after 21.f3

Black is definitely pressing here, but how to continue?

 
Position after 32...Kxg7

In time trouble the pendulum began to swing. Nikita's 33.g3? is a big mistake. What should White play instead?

 
Position after 35.Nc2

Is 35...Bd7, played by Anton, the best defence here?

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.0-0 Bg7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 0-0 7.d4 a6!? 7...d5 is the main move. 8.Bxc6 dxc6 9.h3 cxd4 10.cxd4 c5 11.d5 b5 12.Qc2 12.Nc3 Bb7 13.Bg5 h6 14.Bh4 g5 15.Bg3 e6 16.dxe6 Qxd1 17.exf7+ Rxf7 18.Raxd1 b4 19.Na4 Nxe4= 1-0 (75) Yudin,S (2508)-Muthaiah,A (2367) Chennai 2020 12...c4 13.a4!?N Bb7 14.Bd2 Qd7?! 14...Re8! is the only way to maintain the balance. 15.Bc3 e6 16.d6 e5 17.axb5 axb5 18.Rxa8 Qxa8 19.Nbd2 Nd7∞ 15.axb5?! 15.Bc3!± was the only way to fight for an advantage. 15...axb5 16.Rxa8 Rxa8 17.Bb4 Nh5 18.Qd2?! e5! 19.Rd1 Nf4 20.Ne1 f5 21.f3 Bf8 21...fxe4 22.fxe4 g5 with initiative. 22.Kh2 fxe4 23.fxe4 Bxb4?! Now White is fine. 24.Qxb4 Rf8 25.Nd2 Bc8 26.Qc3! and now the flow returns to Nikita's side. Qa7?! 26...Qg7!= 27.Ndf3‼ Amazing understanding to realise that the d-knight belongs on f3. Bxh3 28.Qxe5 Bg4 29.d6 Qf7 30.Rd2 Bd7 31.Ng5 Qg7 32.Qxg7+ Kxg7 33.g3? 33.e5! b4 34.Rd4± 33...Ne6 34.Nxe6+ Bxe6 35.Nc2 Bd7? 36.Nb4?! Rf3?! 37.Kg2! Re3? 37...c3! Best way to complicate. 38.Na6‼ Rd3 39.Rxd3 cxd3 40.Kf2 Kf6 41.Nc5 Bg4 42.Ke3 h5 43.Kxd3 g5 44.Ke3 A comedy of errors, but credit to Vitiugov for making the second-last mistake! 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vitiugov,N2731Anton Guijarro,D26971–02020B31Prague Festival Masters 20201.3

Nikita Vitiugov is one of the favourites to win the title | Photo: FIDE World Cup 2019

Vidit - Shankland 1-0

A very clean game by the newly minted India No.2. After following his preparation for 15 moves, Vidit managed to induce Shankland's only mistake of the game and proceeded to finish him off, continuing his dominance over the American (Vidit won in Biel ahead of Sam last year!). Here are a few critical moments:

 
Vidit - Shankland, Round 1
Position after 7...d5

The game started with a Rubinstein variation of the Nimzo Indian with Vidit opting for the popular 5.♗d2 line. What was interesting to note is that Vidit was playing the first line of the engine until move 15! Now that's some deep preparation!

 
Position after 15.Qb3

The turning point of the game. What should Black do here in order to equalize?

Speaking about the game, Vidit said,

In the opening I was spending lot of time, and I was not expecting this line so I had to improvise. I think ♞b8 and c6 was very passive, because I had tactical trick with ♕b1 and took initiative. The only problem was I was in time pressure as I had to calculate a lot.

 
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1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd2 b6 6.Nf3 Bb7 7.Bd3 d5 A topical Nimzo-Indian. 8.cxd5 exd5 9.Rc1 Re8 10.Nb5 Nc6 11.0-0 Bf8 12.a3 a6 13.Nc3 Bd6 14.b4N Nb8 15.Qb3 I am sure that Vidit has used Fat Fritz in his preparation, as till now his play has been the first choice of the strongest engine on the planet. Here Sam has only one way to equalise, and he fails to find it. c6? Shankland's only mistake of the game. 15...Nbd7! is the only way to equalise here. 16.Qb1?! 16.e4‼ dxe4 17.Ng5! Qc7! 17...exd3 18.Qxf7+ Kh8 19.Qxb7+- is an elementary conversion at the top. 18.Ncxe4! Bxh2+! 19.Kh1 Nxe4 I am sure that Vidit would have seen until here, and perhaps the next two ply as well - 20.Bxe4! Bf4 But he would have probably not seen a shot here. Well, Stockfish instantly points out 21.Bxf4! Qxf4 22.Bxh7+ Kf8 There is a high chance that Vidit might have seen all this, but I am sure that he would have missed the quiet but deadly 23.Bg6‼+- with a winning advantage for White. If Vidit had not seen this shot, it makes a lot of sense to do what he did in the game. 16...Bc8 17.e4 dxe4 18.Nxe4 Nxe4 19.Bxe4 However, while this position is definitely a better version for Black, it remains lost due to his abject lack of development. h6 20.Rfd1 Ra7 21.Ne5 Rc7 22.h3 Qh4 23.Re1 Rce7?! Now Vidit calculates till the end - 24.Bh7+! Kf8 25.Re4! Qf6? 25...Qh5!? is a better try, but 26.Bg6‼ fxg6 27.g4 Qxh3 28.Re3+- is still winning. 26.Rf4! Bxe5 27.Rxf6 Bxf6 28.Bf4! Vidit doesn't ease up. Bg5 29.Bd6 g6 30.Bxg6! fxg6 31.Qxg6 Nd7 32.Rc3 and white wins everything, so Shankland resigned. A nice win for the India No.2! 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Vidit,S2721Shankland,S26831–02020E52Prague Festival Masters 20201.4

Vidit had a solid first edition of Prague Masters | Photo: Prague Masters 2020

Grandelius - Harikrishna ½-½

Not much happened in this game, but there was one interesting opening decision by Grandelius which was amazing to see:

 
Grandelius - Harikrishna
Position after 13...Bb4

Why not 14.♘b5 for White here?

 
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1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 e6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nc6 5.Nc3 Qc7 6.g3 a6 7.Bg2 Nf6 8.0-0 Nxd4 9.Qxd4 Bc5 10.Bf4 d6 11.Qd2 h6 12.Rad1 e5 13.Be3 Bb4 14.a3! 14.Nb5 axb5 15.Qxb4 Rxa2 16.Rxd6 0-0 17.Rd2 Be6!= Amazing depth in the ideas by both players! 14...Bxc3 15.Qxc3 Qxc3 16.bxc3 Be6 17.Rxd6 Rc8 18.Bb6 0-0 19.Ba5 Rc4 20.Rb6 Nxe4 21.Re1 Nxc3 22.Bxb7 Na4 23.Rxa6 Nc5 24.Ra7 Nxb7 25.Rxb7 Rxc2 26.Rxe5 Ra2 27.Kg2 Re8 28.Bc7 Rxa3 29.Rb8 Rxb8 30.Bxb8 g5 31.h3 Rd3 32.Re1 h5 33.Ba7 Kg7 34.Kh2 Kg6 35.Be3 g4 36.h4 Bd5 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Grandelius,N2659Harikrishna,P2713½–½2020B47Prague Festival Masters 20201.1

Harikrishna will be gunning for tournament victory | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Firouzja - Ragger ½-½

Again, only one interesting moment in this game:

 
Analysis
Position after 17...f5

This position could have arisen had White played aggressively. How do you assess it?

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.0-0 Be7 6.d3 b5 7.Bb3 d6 8.a3 0-0 9.Nc3 Na5 10.Ba2 Be6 11.b4 Bxa2 12.Rxa2 Nc6 13.Bg5 13.Nd5 Nxd5 14.exd5 Nb8 15.a4 Nd7 16.c4 bxc4 17.dxc4 f5∞ 13...Ng4 14.Bd2 Nf6 15.Re1 Qd7 16.Nd5 Nxd5 17.exd5 Na7 18.a4 c6 19.axb5 axb5 20.Qa1 cxd5 21.Be3 d4 22.Nxd4 exd4 23.Bxd4 Bf6 24.Bxf6 gxf6 25.h3 Rfe8 26.Rxe8+ Qxe8 27.Rxa7 Rxa7 28.Qxa7 Qe1+ 29.Kh2 Qxb4 30.Qe3 Kg7 31.d4 d5 32.Qg3+ Kf8 33.Qb8+ Kg7 34.Qg3+ Kf8 35.Qd3 Kg7 36.Kg3 Qd6+ 37.Kg4 Qe6+ 38.Kh5 f5 39.Qg3+ Kh8 40.Qg5 Qe2+ 41.g4 fxg4 42.Qf6+ Kg8 43.Qg5+ Kh8 44.Qf6+ Kg8 ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Firouzja,A2726Ragger,M2670½–½2020C77Prague Festival Masters 20201.2

Firouzja and Ragger analyse as Harikrishna looks on | Photo: Prague Masters 2020

The last minute replacement for Wei Yi was Alireza Firouzja | Photo: Vladimir Jagr

Standings after Round 1

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Tanmay Srinath has been writing for ChessBase India since quite some time now. His tournament reports and depth of analysis have been widely appreciated. Pursuing a full-fledged career in engineering Tanmay doesn't get enough time to pursue chess, but he loves to follow top-level encounters and analyzes those games with his Fat Fritz engine. We hope you find his analysis useful in your games.

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