With a key win over his archrival, U.S. GM Hikaru Nakamura has booked a slot in subsequent spring’s eight-grandmaster Candidates Tournament in Toronto, for an opportunity to tackle reigning Chinese world champ GM Ding Liren.

Nakamura, boosted by a penultimate-round win over fellow U.S. GM Fabiano Caruana, completed alone in second on the just-finished FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament behind rising Indian star GM Vidit Gujrathi, snagging one of many two Candidates’ berths on provide. It was a banner outcome for Indian chess as 22-year-old IM Vaishali Rameshbabu received the Women’s Grand Prix, qualifying for the ladies’s Candidates Tournament together with Chinese GM Tan Zhongyi. Rameshbabu’s brother Praggnanandhaa has already clinched a slot within the Toronto tourney, making them the primary brother-sister tandem ever to perform the feat.

Caruana, like Praggnanandhaa, has already secured a slot within the Candidates Tournament subsequent yr together with his excessive end on the Chess World Cup earlier this yr, however he needs to be involved about his possibilities of holding off Nakamura, who received his third straight recreation between the 2 top-rated American gamers at classical time controls. Given the stakes and the event state of affairs, Nakamura’s win on the Grand Swiss could be his most spectacular of all.

White sidesteps the Petroff’s for a Scotch Four Knights Game, saying after the sport he had some expertise with this line as a youthful participant. After 8. exd5 0-0, for instance, White can get into early hassle with the grasping 9. exd6?! Bg4 10. f3 Re8+ 11 Kf1, and Black’s positional chips are definitely worth the two pawns.

It’s nonetheless a widely known place after 14. Bg5 Ne4 (Qxc3?? 15. Bxh7+), however there’s a higher degree of discomfort for Black after 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Qg3 — opposite-colored bishops could also be drawish within the ending, however within the middlegame they could be a increase for the attacking facet, which is clearly White right here.

Black lets his guard down ever so barely after 17. a4 Rfe8 18. Rd6! (the delicate level right here, as Nakamura famous later, is that Black’s queen is being shut out of the sport from her perch on a5, with the rook and White pawns not permitting her again into the play) h6?! (very committal, as can be seen, however Black was already bailing water right here: 18…f6 19. Bf4, and searching for trades with 19…Rad8? falls to twenty. Rxe6! Rxe6 21. Bc7, with a neat skewer) 19. Bf4 Re7 20. Qe3 (Re1! was one other sturdy alternative right here; e.g. 20… Qxa4? 21. Bxh6 gxh6 22. Qh4 Rd7 23. Qxh6+ Kg8 24. Re3 Rxd6 25. Rg3+ Bg4 26. Qxd6 and wins) Rc8 (see diagram), and now White pulls the set off.

After 21. Bxh6! (Nakamura seemed lengthy and onerous on the laptop’s most well-liked 21. Be5!, since 21…f6 loses to 22. Bxf6! gxf6 23. Qxh6+, with strains like 23… Kg8 24. Rad1 Rce8 25. Qg6+ Kh8 26. Qxf6+ Kg8 27. R1d5!! Bxd5 28. Qg6+ Rg7 29. Qxe8+ Kh7 30. Qh5+ Kg8 31. Qxd5+, however mentioned he feared some strains led to an extended drawn-out ending and he most well-liked a faster win) f6 (and never 21…gxh6? 22. Qxh6+ Kg8 23. Qg5+ Kf8 24 Qf6! Ree8 [the only way to stop mate on h8] 25. Qh6+ Ke7 26. Rxe6+! fxe6 27. Qg7+ Kd6 28. Rd1+ Kc6 29. Qd7+ Kc6 29. Qd7+ Kb6 30. Rd6+ Rc3 31. Rxc6 mate) 22. Qxe4 Qxc3 23. Rad1 Rce8 24. Rd8, and Black’s place is underneath large strain.

Short on time, Black defends tenaciously and almost claws again into the sport: 25. Qh4 Qxc2 26. R1d3! (blocking the queen’s path again to defend the kingside) Bh7 (gxh6 27. Qxh6+ Bh7 28. Qxf6+ Kg8 29. Rg3+) 27. R3d7 (a neat-looking fourpack of rooks) g5 (Rxd7 28. Rxe8+ Bg8 29. Bxg7+! Kxg7 30. Qg3+ Kh6 31. Rxg8 Qd1+ 32. Kh2 Qh5 33. Rg4 Rd4 34. Qe3+ Kh7 35. Qe7+ Kh8 36. Qg7 mate) 28. Qg3?! (Qg4, guarding the a-pawn was extra exact), and now 28…Rxd7 29. Rxd7 Qxa4! 30. Qd6 Qa1+ 31. Kh2 Qe5+ 32. Qxe5 Rxe5 33. Bg7+ Kg8 34. Bxf6 Rf5 would have supplied distinct drawing prospects, although White continues to be a lot better.

Caruana lets the possibility slip and it’s successfully over on 30. Rxe7 Rxd8 31. Qc7!, threatening not simply the Black rook however 32. Re8+! Rxe8 33. Qg7 mate. Black parries with 31…Qf4+ 32. Qxf4 gxf4, however the ending seems to be hopeless after 33. Bg7+ Kg8 34. Bxf6 Bb1 35. Rg7+! Kf8 36. Bxd8 Kxg7 37. Bg5 f3 38. g4! (one final finesse to protect the linked handed pawns; 38. gxf3?? is a draw) f3 38. g4 c4 39. Kg3 Be4 40. Bd2, and Black resigned. White will plant his bishop on c3 and advance his g- and h-pawns up the board for the win.

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England hasn’t boasted a world chess champion since Howard Staunton claimed the then-unofficial title within the 1850s. But the U.Okay. can now boast of two new champions: English GM Michael Adams claimed the thirty first World Senior 50+ Championship in Terrasini, Italy, over the weekend, whereas compatriot GM John Nunn took the world senior title for gamers over 65. Adams nipped GM Suat Atalik on tiebreaks for the title, catching the veteran Turkish star with a last-round win over Slovakian GM Martin Mrva.

The Vienna Game (3. Bc4) is one other oldie-but-goodie opening getting a respectful new listening to lately. White’s loss is instructive right here — maybe intimidated by his better-known, extra achieved opponent, he primarily fritters away 5 strikes starting with the nervous retreat 16. Re1?! (d4 exd4 17. cxd4 Qe7 18. N1d2 is completely playable), letting Adams take over the play.

Things go from dangerous to misplaced on 22. exd5?! (there was nonetheless time for 22. Qb4 Rc7 23. Rab1 Rff7 24. Rbc1, with equality) Nxd5 23. Qc4? (Nxe5?? Ne3+ 24. Kg1 Qg2 mate; 23. Re4, blocking the lengthy diagonal, was the one believable protection right here, as 23…Ngf4+ [Nf6 is also very playable)] 24. gxf4+ Nxf4+ 25. Kg1 Nxh3+ 26. Kg2 Nf4+ 27. Kg1 Nxd3 28. Qc4 Qd5 29. Rb1 Rc7 30. Qxd5 exd5 31. Re3 e4 is powerful for Black however not but successful), because the half-open f-file, the well-posted Black knights and the dominance on the lengthy diagonal result in a successful shot.

Thus: 23…Rxf3! 24. Nxf3 (Qxc6 Rxf2+ 25. Kg1 bxc6 wins materials) Ndf4+! 25. gxf4 (any king retreat simply loses the knight on f3) Nh4+! 26. Kf1 (Kg3 Qxf3+ 27. Kxh4 Rxf4+ 28. Qxf4 Qxf4+ 29. Kh5 Qg5 mate) Qxf3 27. Qxe6+ Kh7 — Black continues to be down an change and a pawn, however his assault is simply too sturdy to outlive.

It’s over shortly on 28. Qg4 Qxd3+ 29. Re2? (shedding directly, however issues had been virtually equally bleak after 29. Kg1 [Qe2 Qxh3+ 30. Kg1 Qg2 mate] Rxf4 30. Qg3 Nf3+ 31. Kh1 Nxe1 32. Rxe1 Rf3 33. Qxe5 Rxh3+ 34. Kg1 Qg6+ 35. Kf1 Rh1+ 36. Ke2 Rh4) Rxf4 30. Qg3 (Qg1 Qxh3+ 31. Ke1 Qxc3+ 32. Kf1 33. Re1 Qc3 and wins) Qxg3, and the White queen goes by the wayside; Mrva resigned.

Nakamura-Caruana, FIDE Grand Swiss Tournament, Douglas, Isle of Man, November 2023

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Nc6 4. d4 exd4 5. Nxd4 Bb4 6. Nxc6 bxc6 7. Bd3 d5 8. exd5 O-O 9. O-O cxd5 10. h3 Be6 11. Qf3 c5 12. Rd1 Bxc3 13. bxc3 Qa5 14. Bg5 Ne4 15. Bxe4 dxe4 16. Qg3 Kh8 17. a4 Rfe8 18. Rd6 h6 19. Bf4 Re7 20. Qe3 Rc8 21. Bxh6 f6 22. Qxe4 Qxc3 23. Rad1 Rce8 24. Rd8 Bg8 25. Qh4 Qxc2 26. R1d3 Bh7 27. R3d7 g5 28. Qg3 Qb1+ 29. Kh2 Qf5 30. Rxe7 Rxd8 31. Qc7 Qf4+ 32. Qxf4 gxf4 33. Bg7+ Kg8 34. Bxf6 Bb1 35. Rg7+ Kf8 36. Bxd8 Kxg7 37. Bg5 f3 38. g4 c4 39. Kg3 Be4 40. Bd2 Black resigns.

(Click on the picture above for a bigger view of the chessboard.)

Mrva-Adams, thirty first World 50+ Senior Championship, Terrasini, Italy, November 2023

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. c3 a6 6. a4 Ba7 7. O-O d6 8. Nbd2 O-O 9. h3 h6 10. Re1 Be6 11. b4 Ne7 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Nf1 Ng6 14. Be3 Bxe3 15. Rxe3 Rf7 16. Re1 Qe7 17. g3 Raf8 18. N1h2 d5 19. Kg2 c5 20. bxc5 Qxc5 21. Qb3 Qc6 22. exd5 Nxd5 23. Qc4 Rxf3 24. Nxf3 Ndf4+ 25. gxf4 Nh4+ 26. Kf1 Qxf3 27. Qxe6+ Kh7 28. Qg4 Qxd3+ 29. Re2 Rxf4 30. Qg3 Qxg3 White resigns.

• David R. Sands may be reached at 202/636-3178 or by e mail at dsands@washingtontimes.com.

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