Aimchess US Rapid Day 3: Duda-Carlsen rematch in the Quarterfinals

by Shahid Ahmed - 31/08/2021

Vladislav Artemiev won the Prelims of Meltwater Champions Chess Tour Aimchess US Rapid. He scored an unbeaten 10.5/15. Carlsen missed a win against Duda in the queen ending, which ended in a draw. It resulted in them facing each other once again in the Quarterfinals, where they will play plenty of games. Aronian, Firouzja, So, Mamedyarov and Leinier are the remaining players to advance to the knockout stage. Despite having his best day of the event, Vidit was unable to advance. Giri drew all his games, finishing the Prelims with a staggering 13 draws, remained unbeaten and got eliminated. Quarterfinals start today at 8:30 p.m. IST. Photo: FIDE

Giri, MVL and Vidit get eliminated

Vidit Gujrathi scored an unbeaten 3.0/5 on the third day of the Prelims. However it was not enough to advance to the knockout stage. Leinier secured the final position to advance to the next stage who had a half point more than Vidit.

Carlsen and Duda will face each other in the Quarterfinals | Photo: FIDE

Round 11: So - Artemiev: 1-0

So blundered in a relatively equal rook and opposite bishop color endgame, probably due to time scramble.

Position after 31.fxg6

White had to play 31.f6+ and things would have been fine. However, 31.fxg6 costs White material and the game. Find out how.

Vidit - Mamedyarov: 0.5-0.5

Vidit started with an interesting draw against Mamedyarov.

Liem - Leinier: 0-1

Liem could have saved the game in the final moments against Leinier.

Position after 56...Ka4

White can still make a draw here with precise play. The game continued 57.Kg4 h2 58.Bxg2 Kxa3 and Black won the game in another four moves.

Round 12: Artemiev - Vidit: 0.5-0.5

Vidit had a well-fought draw with Artemiev.

Round 13: Jorden - Duda: 0-1

One of the most interesting game of the day was between two of the sharpest players in the event, Jorden van Foreest and Jan-Krzysztof Duda.

Position after 22.Bxf7+

Which is correct - accept or decline the sacrifice? Black chose the incorrect one, still went on to win the game.

Round 14: Duda - Vachier-Lagrave: 1-0

Duda beat Vachier-Lagrave in just 21 moves after the latter made a tactical miscalculation.

Liang - Vidit: 0.5-0.5

Vidit missed a few winning opportunities against Liang.

Position after 52.c6

Both sides are going to promote, yet Black has a choice of pushing the white king towards a particular pawn. Which pawn should Black try to promote and sacrifice the other?

Position after 108.Qg3

There is a similar position like this in Dvoretsky's Endgame Manual. Instead of rooks, there are queens here. The core of the position remains the same - opposition. This was perhaps the closest Black was to the win. Find out the only winning continuation in the above diagram. Black played 108...Kf5 and Liang found the beautiful defense 109.Kh1.

A move that surprised everyone | Video: ChessBase India

Round 15: Carlsen - Duda: 0.5-0.5

Duda made an incredible save after losing an exchange due to tactical error.

Position after 61...Qc5

White is completely winning due to a beautiful geometry by the queen. How? The game continued 62.Kxg2 Qxa7 and Black eventually managed to escape with a draw.