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Levon Aronian made his way to the final of the Airthings Masters online tournament by defeating World No. 5 Maxime Vachier-Lagrave of France in Friday’s semifinal matchup.
The Armenian World No. 6 did not lose a game and looked in complete control when he eliminated MVL, 3-1, 2-1, in straight sets. Now he faces seventh seed Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan for the championship.
Radjabov, a ranked and 10th ranked candidate in the world, crushed a fiery Daniil Dubov of Russia, 3-1, 2-0, in the other semi-finals.
The 24-year-old Dubov, who knocked out world champion Magnus Carlsen in the quarter-finals, weakened with one final spot up for grabs.
The $ 200,000 online tournament is the second leg of the $ 1.5 million online champions chess tour. The third stage will take place from February 6 to 14, 2021.
The final showdown begins today, at 1400 UTC, and can be viewed live with commentary on various chess websites.
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This game is a good example of Aronian’s virtuosity in the ending. Also, the first part of the fight is captivating.
Champions Chess Tour 2020
Airthings Masters Knockout
W) L. Aronian (ARM)
B) H. Nakamura (United States)
London system
1. d4 Nf6; 2. Nf3 d5; 3. Bf4 ….
The London system, with the colors reversed, is a respectable and popular method of opening the game, and has recently become popular with top DJs.
3 …. e6; 4. e3 Bd6; 5. Nbd2 ….
In Aronian vs Nakamura, set one, game two, the game was 5. Ab5ch Nbd7 6. c3 0-0 7. Nbd2 Qe7 8. Ne5, with a slight advantage for White, (1-0 = 38).
5. … c5; 6. Ab5ch Nc6; 7. Bxc6ch bxc6; 8. Bxd6 Qxd6; 9. Nb3 cxd4; 10. exd4 Nd7; 11. Qd2 OO; 12. Qc3 f6; 13. OOO ….
The downside to this type of opening setup is Black’s difficulty in activating his light-squared bishop, which is blocked by his own pawns, limiting his reach. The same problem arises in the Queen’s Gambit and French Defense openings.
13 …. Ba6
Black tries to find active squares for his bishop, but in general, it is difficult to get equality with a bad bishop.
14. Rhe1 Rfe8; 15. Re3 Rac8; 16. Rde1 Kf7?
The beginning of Black’s troubles. 16 … Bc4, it was necessary to prevent White’s next move.
17. Nc5! ….
Now White will trade queens, transitioning to a knight vs. bad bishop ending.
17 …. Nxc5; 18. Qxc5 Qxc5; 19. dxc5 Ra8
Anticipating the 20. Ra3 for White.
20. Nd4 e5; 21. Nf5! ….
The Knight heads to d6, making life miserable for Black’s army.
21 …. Red8; 22. f4! ….
A strong Pawn advance that fixes Black’s central Pawns.
22 …. Bc8?
With Black’s passive pieces cut in half and White moving quickly, Nakamura decides that it is time to stop fighting.
23. Nd6ch Rxd6
It seems the only way to stay in the game, although Black has a chronic game anyway.
24. cxd6 e4; 25. c4! ….
Another good move that kills Black’s chances of counterattack.
25 …. Ke6; 26. c5 Ba6; 27. Ta3 Ab5; 28. b4 Kf5
After 28. f5 29. Rd1, White should win in the long run.
29. Ta5 Ac4; 30.a4 a6
30 … d4 can be held for the moment, although White continues to win. Now Aronian’s technique manifests itself.
31. g4ch Kxf4; 32.B5 cxb5; 33. c6 Ke5; 34. c7 Ke6; 35. Rxa6 1-0
Solution to last week’s puzzle:
Target to move and win.
White = Kb1, Qf3, Rb3, Rh1, Be3, Pa2, Pb2, Pe5, Pf2
Black = Kg7, Qc4, Rd8, Kf8, Be7, Pa7, Pb7, Pc6, Pe6, Pf7, Pg5
1. Bxg5! Bxg5; 2. Qf6ch! Bxf6; 3. Rg3ch Bg5; 4. Rxg5 mate.
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