Nakamura Through to Moscow Semis; So Falls to Grischuk

Wesley So was knocked out of the 2019 Moscow Grand Prix today, losing to Alexander Grischuk in the rapid tie-break round. Hikaru Nakamura defeated Daniil Dubov to advance to the semi-finals, where he will meet Grischuk. Grischuk showed his impeccable technique, defeating So in a deceptively dry ending to win the rapid match 1.5-0.5. GM and new Missouri chess coach Cristian Chirila was very impressed with Grischuk’s play. https://twitter.com/CristianChirila/status/1131216160874258432

[pgn]

[Event "Moscow FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2019.05.22"]
[Round "2.2"]
[White "Grischuk, Alexander"]
[Black "So, Wesley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D41"]
[WhiteElo "2772"]
[BlackElo "2754"]
[PlyCount "121"]
[EventDate "2019.05.17"]
[EventType "k.o."]

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 c5 5. cxd5 cxd4 6. Qxd4 exd5 7. e4 Nc6 8.
Bb5 dxe4 9. Qxd8+ Kxd8 10. Ng5 Be6 11. Nxe6+ fxe6 12. Bxc6 bxc6 13. Ke2 Bb4 14.
Na4 Ke7 15. Rd1 Rhd8 16. Rxd8 Rxd8 17. Be3 Ra8 18. Rc1 Kd7 19. Rc4 Bd6 20. b3
Nd5 21. Rxe4 Nxe3 22. Kxe3 Rf8 23. h3 Rf5 24. Ke2 h5 25. Nb2 Bc5 26. Nd3 Kd6
27. h4 Bb6 28. g3 Ra5 29. a4 g5 30. b4 Rd5 31. hxg5 Rxg5 32. a5 Bc7 33. Nc5 e5
34. Re3 Rg4 35. Ne4+ Ke7 36. f3 Rg6 37. Rc3 Kd7 38. Rc1 Bd6 39. Rd1 Kc7 40.
Nxd6 Rxd6 41. Rh1 Rg6 42. Rxh5 Rxg3 43. Rxe5 Kd6 44. Re4 Rg5 45. Rc4 Rg1 46.
Ke3 Kd5 47. Rc5+ Kd6 48. Ke4 Re1+ 49. Kf5 Rb1 50. Rc4 Kd5 51. Re4 c5 52. Re5+
Kd4 53. bxc5 Rb5 54. f4 Rxa5 55. Ke6 Ra6+ 56. Kd7 Rf6 57. c6 Rxf4 58. Ra5 Rf7+
59. Kc8 Kc4 60. c7 Kb4 61. Rxa7 1-0

[/pgn]

Nakamura won the first leg of his rapid playoff against Dubov in excellent fashion, and drew the second from a position of strength to advance to the semi-finals.

[pgn]

[Event "Moscow FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2019.05.22"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Dubov, Daniil"]
[Black "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A29"]
[WhiteElo "2690"]
[BlackElo "2761"]
[PlyCount "158"]
[EventDate "2019.05.17"]
[EventType "k.o."]

1. c4 e5 2. Nc3 Nf6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. g3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Bg2 Nb6 7. O-O Be7 8.
b3 O-O 9. Bb2 Re8 10. Rc1 Bf8 11. d3 Nd4 12. e3 Nxf3+ 13. Qxf3 c6 14. Rfd1 Qg5
15. h4 Qg4 16. Ne4 Qxf3 17. Bxf3 a5 18. Nc5 a4 19. d4 axb3 20. axb3 Ra2 21. Bc3
Nd5 22. Bxd5 cxd5 23. Nd3 Bg4 24. Rd2 Rxd2 25. Bxd2 exd4 26. exd4 Bf5 27. Nc5
Re2 28. Be3 Rb2 29. Nxb7 Rxb3 30. Nc5 Rb4 31. Ra1 f6 32. Ra8 Kf7 33. Rd8 Be7
34. Rxd5 Bc8 35. Kf1 Rb5 36. Ke2 Be6 37. Nxe6 Rxd5 38. Nc5 f5 39. Nd3 Bd6 40.
Kf3 Bc7 41. Nf4 Ra5 42. Ne2 Ra3 43. Nf4 Rb3 44. Nd5 Bb8 45. Nf4 Ba7 46. Ke2 Ra3
47. Nd3 Ke6 48. Nf4+ Kd6 49. Nh5 g6 50. Nf4 Bb6 51. Kd2 Kc6 52. Ke2 Kd6 53. Kd2
Bd8 54. Ke2 Bf6 55. Kd2 Kc6 56. Ke2 Kb5 57. h5 g5 58. Nd5 Bd8 59. Bd2 Ra7 60.
Kd3 Rd7 61. Ne3 Rf7 62. Nc4 Rf8 63. Ne5 Be7 64. f3 Ra8 65. Nf7 Ra3+ 66. Ke2 Kc4
67. Bxg5 Bb4 68. Ne5+ Kd5 69. Nd3 Ra2+ 70. Kf1 Bd2 71. Bf6 Kc4 72. Ne5+ Kxd4
73. g4 Bf4 74. Ng6+ Ke3 75. Nh4 fxg4 76. fxg4 h6 77. Kg1 Bh2+ 78. Kf1 Rf2+ 79.
Ke1 Rxf6 0-1

[/pgn]

[pgn]

[Event "Moscow FIDE Grand Prix"]
[Site "Moscow RUS"]
[Date "2019.05.22"]
[Round "2.1"]
[White "Nakamura, Hikaru"]
[Black "Dubov, Daniil"]
[Result "1/2-1/2"]
[ECO "A22"]
[WhiteElo "2761"]
[BlackElo "2690"]
[PlyCount "95"]
[EventDate "2019.05.17"]
[EventType "k.o."]

1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Bg2 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bxc3 6. bxc3 O-O 7. O-O e4 8.
Nd4 Ne5 9. d3 c5 10. Nc2 exd3 11. exd3 d5 12. Bf4 Ng6 13. Be3 Bg4 14. f3 Bf5
15. Bxc5 dxc4 16. Bxf8 Nxf8 17. Rf2 Bxd3 18. Bf1 Ne6 19. Bxd3 cxd3 20. Ne1 Nc5
21. Rd2 Nd5 22. Nxd3 Nxc3 23. Qe1 Nxd3 24. Qe3 Qf6 25. Qxd3 b5 26. Re1 h5 27.
a3 a5 28. Qd4 Qxd4+ 29. Rxd4 Rb8 30. Re7 b4 31. axb4 axb4 32. Rdd7 Rf8 33. Rb7
Nd5 34. Red7 Nf6 35. Rd2 Rc8 36. Rxb4 Rc3 37. Kg2 g6 38. h3 Kg7 39. Rb7 Ra3 40.
h4 Ra4 41. Kf2 Rc4 42. Ra2 Ng8 43. Rba7 Nh6 44. R7a4 Rc3 45. R4a3 Rc4 46. Ra4
Rc3 47. R4a3 Rc4 48. Ra4 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

Nakamura meets Grischuk in one semi-final matchup, while Ian Nepomniachtchi takes on Radek Wojtaszek in the other half of the bracket. Live coverage of the Moscow Grand Prix is available at the official WorldChess site, or direct via their YouTube channel. Play starts at 3pm Moscow time, or 8 am Eastern.