Wei Yi beats Ernesto Inarkiev in friendly match

by Johannes Fischer
8/23/2018 – A twelve-game match between Wei Yi and Ernesto Inarkiev was played in Magas, the capital town of the Republic of Ingushetia. The Chinese defeated the 2016 European Champion 4:2 in the classical section and achieved a 3½:2½ victory in the rapid. Wei Yi demonstrated his tactical talent more than once. | Photo: Amruta Mokal (archive)

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Wei Yi 7½:4½ Ernesto Inarkiev

Curiously, Wei Yi started the 12-game competition with a loss, but he immediately bounced back with a convincing tactical win in a Sicilian, probably his favourite opening.

 

Another tactical skirmish gave Wei Yi a win in the third game. The final mating attack was particularly nice:

 

In this position, Wei Yi played 34...Rxb2! and Inarkiev resigned. After 35.Rxd3 Rb4 36.Ka3 Nc4# is mate.

The fourth game also went Wei Yi's way. The young Chinese drew the last two games to finish the classical section with a favourable 4:2 score.

All games - Classical

 

They also played six rapid games with 15 minutes plus a 10-second increment per move. Wei Yi won this section 3½:2½.

All games - Rapid

 

Final results - Combined

 

Translation from German: Antonio Pereira

Links:

<< Superfinals of the Russian Championship begin
Sinquefield Cup: Draws, some short, some hard-fought >>
Topics: Ernesto Inarkiev, Wei Yi
Johannes Fischer was born in 1963 in Hamburg and studied English and German literature in Frankfurt. He now lives as a writer and translator in Nürnberg. He is a FIDE-Master and regularly writes for KARL, a German chess magazine focusing on the links between culture and chess. On his own blog he regularly publishes notes on "Film, Literature and Chess".
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ketchuplover ketchuplover 8/26/2018 08:25
Hopefully he gets invited to TataSteel. He'll be at the Olympiad too apparently.
Blitz2010 Blitz2010 8/23/2018 10:04
I miss Wei Yi very much in the big tournaments. I wish the organizers would invite him more often!!!
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