Chess : One of these Days

First published at 16:45 UTC on March 18th, 2022.

GM Hikaru Nakamura seized first place in the fifth week of the 2022 Rapid Chess Championship, holding his nerve after a series of close matches against a number of the world's best players. Nakamura finished second in the Swiss to qualify for the knockout and fought the winner of the Swiss tournament, GM Levon Aronian, in the final after dispatching GM Fabiano Caruana and GM Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the semifinal and quarterfinal respectively.

Music: "One Of These Days" by Pink Floyd
2022@ArtFlow - all rights respected

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[Event "Live Chess"]
[Site "Chess.com @ https://lichess.org/11pVpxFv "]
[Date "2022.03.13"]
[Round "?"]
[White "GM Levon Aronian"]
[Black "GM Hikaru Nakamura"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C50"]
[WhiteElo "2850"]
[BlackElo "2883"]
[TimeControl "600+2"]
[EndTime "12:24:55 PDT"]
[Termination "Hikaru won on time"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Bc5 4. d3 Nf6 5. Bg5 h6 6. Bh4 d6 7. c3 a6 8. a4 Ba7 9. Nbd2 Qe7 10. O-O g5 11. Bg3 Nd7 12. Kh1 Nf8 13. Ng1 h5 14. f3 Ng6 15. Bf2 Bxf2 16. Rxf2 f5 17. exf5 Bxf5 18. Nf1 Nf4 19. Ne3 Qh7 20. d4 h4 21. b4 exd4 22. cxd4 Bd3 23. b5 Nb4 24. bxa6 bxa6 25. Ng4 Kd8 26. Rc1 a5 27. Qb3 Bxc4 28. Rxc4 Qd3 29. Rc3 Qxd4 {Despite a clear spacial and positional advantage, resolute defense from Aronian made it hard to see a concrete way forward.} 30. Ne2 Qd5 31. Qb1 Nfd3 32. Rf1 h3 33. Rd1 hxg2+ 34. Kxg2 Re8 35. Ng3 Qa2+ 36. Qxa2 Nf4+ 37. Kf1 Nxa2 38. Rc4 Rb8 39. Ne4 Nb4 40. h4 Nbd3 41. Nxg5 Rb2 42. Rd4 Rd2 43. Rb1 Ree2 {Two rooks on the second rank is certainly menacing, but again, Aronian finds sufficient resources to make it hard for Nakamura to calculate.} 44. Ne4 Ra2 45. Rd1 Rec2 46. h5 Nb2 47. R1d2 Rxd2 48. Rxd2 Nxh5 49. Kf2 Nd3+ 50. Ke3 Rxd2 51. Nxd2 Nb2 52. Nb3 Nxa4 53. Nxa5 {Now Aronian's objective is clear: White must find a way to sacrifice his knights for Black's pawns in order to secure a draw.} 53... Kd7 54. Nb3 Nb6 55. Ke4 c5 56. f4 Ng3+ 57. Kf3 Nf5 58. Nf6+ Ke6 59. Ne4 c4 60. Na5 d5 61. Nc3 d4 62. Nb5 c3 63. Nb3 $2 {Commentator Hambleton mentioned here that Ke4 should be considered, preventing progress from Black's king.} 63... Kd5 64. Ke2 $4 {[%c_effect e2;square;e2;type;Blunder;persistent;true]} 64... Kc4 {Missing a brutal fork.} 0-1