Daniil Dubov surprisingly won the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge on the chess24.com playing server last week by beating the favored Hikaru Nakamura in Armageddon during their third and deciding mini-match, 3-2.
Dubov won Game 2, Nakamura took Game 3 and the two tied in Games 1 and 4 of the regulation, setting up the Armageddon game with the American choosing the black pieces and draw odds.
Dubov, however, made the correct opening choice and confused Nakamura who soon blundered and lost after 32 moves.
The victory was worth $45,000 for Dubov while Nakamura consoled himself with the $27,500 runner-up purse.
The next leg of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour, dubbed the Online Chess Masters Tournament, will be played on June 20 and is also on the chess24.com playing server.
Dubov, D (2699)-Nakamura, H (2736) [A29]
chess24.com (3.31) 2020
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.g3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Bg2 Nb6 7.0-0 Be7 8.a3 0-0 9.b4 Be6 10.Rb1 f6 11.b5 Nd4 12.e3 Nxf3+ 13.Bxf3 c6 14.bxc6 bxc6 15.Bxc6 Rc8 16.Bb7 Rc7 17.Ba6 Bf5 18.Ra1 Qd7 19.Re1 Rd8 20.Qe2 Bg4 21.f3 Be6 22.Bb5 Qc8 23.Ba6 Qd7 24.Bb5 Qc8 25.Ba6 Qd7 ½-½
Nakamura, H (2736)-Dubov, D (2699) [B35]
chess24.com (3.32) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3 Re8 9.Nxc6 dxc6 10.h3 Qc7 11.f4 b5 12.e5 b4 13.Na4 Nd5 14.Qf3 Nxe3 15.Qxe3 a5 16.0-0-0 Qa7 17.Qe4 Bf5 18.Qc4 Qe3+ 19.Kb1 Be6 20.Qd4 Qxd4 21.Rxd4 Rad8 22.Rhd1 Rxd4 23.Rxd4 Bc8 24.Nb6 c5 25.Rd2 g5 26.Rd5 gxf4 27.Rxc5 f3 28.gxf3 Bxh3 29.Rxa5 Rd8 30.a4 bxa3 31.bxa3 e6 32.Ka2 h5 33.Ra4 Bxe5 34.Re4 Bf6 35.Re1 h4 36.Rg1+ Kf8 37.Nc4 Bf5 38.Rh1 Rd4 39.Ne3 Bg6 40.a4 Bh5 41.a5 Bxf3 42.Rf1 Rf4 43.a6 Bd4 44.Re1 Re4 0-1
Dubov, D (2699)-Nakamura, H (2736) [A27]
chess24.com (3.33) 2020
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nf3 f5 4.d4 e4 5.Ng5 Bb4 6.d5 Ne5 7.Qb3 Bc5 8.Nh3 Nf6 9.Na4 Be7 10.Bf4 Ng6 11.d6 cxd6 12.Nc3 d5 13.e3 0-0 14.Rd1 d6 15.Be2 h6 16.0-0 Be6 17.Nxd5 Bxd5 18.cxd5 Qb6 19.Rc1 Qxb3 20.axb3 Rfc8 21.Rc4 Nd7 22.Rfc1 Nb6 23.Rxc8+ Rxc8 24.Rxc8+ Nxc8 25.g4 fxg4 26.Bxg4 Nb6 27.Bg3 Nh4 28.Nf4 Nf3+ 29.Kg2 Nd2 30.Bf5 Nxb3 31.Bxe4 Nc4 32.Nd3 a5 33.Bf3 b5 34.Bd1 Nbd2 35.b3 Nb6 36.Nf4 a4 37.bxa4 bxa4 38.Nd3 a3 39.Nb4 Nxd5 40.Na2 Kf8 41.Ba4 Ne4 42.Bb3 Ndc3 43.Nb4 Nd2 44.Be6 d5 45.Nc2 Nc4 46.e4 a2 47.exd5 Bd6 48.Kf3 Ke7 49.Bf5 Nb5 50.Bd3 Nd4+ 51.Nxd4 a1Q 52.Nf5+ Kf6 53.Bxc4 Bxg3 0-1
Nakamura, H (2736)-Dubov, D (2699) [B35]
chess24.com (3.34) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3 g6 4.d4 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Bg7 6.Be3 Nf6 7.Bc4 0-0 8.Bb3 Re8 9.Nxc6 dxc6 10.h3 Qc7 11.f4 Rd8 12.Qf3 c5 13.e5 c4 14.exf6 Bxf6 15.Ba4 Qa5 16.0-0 Bxc3 17.bxc3 Qxa4 18.Bd4 Qc6 19.Qe3 Bf5 20.Qe5 Qf6 21.Qxf6 exf6 22.Bxf6 Rd6 23.Be5 Re6 24.Rf2 f6 25.Bd4 h5 26.a4 Rae8 27.Bxa7 Re1+ 28.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 29.Rf1 Rxf1+ 30.Kxf1 Bxc2 31.a5 Kf7 32.h4 f5 33.g3 Ke6 34.Kf2 Kd5 35.Ke3 Be4 36.Bb6 Bb1 37.Ba7 Be4 38.Bd4 Bb1 39.Ba7 Be4 ½-½
Dubov, D (2699)-Nakamura, H (2736) [C25]
chess24.com (3.35) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.g3 Bc5 4.Bg2 Nf6 5.Nge2 d6 6.d3 a6 7.0-0 Be6 8.h3 h6 9.Kh2 d5 10.exd5 Nxd5 11.f4 exf4 12.Bxd5 Bxd5 13.Nxf4 Ne7 14.Qh5 c6 15.Ncxd5 cxd5 16.Ne6 Qd6 17.Nxg7+ Kd7 18.Rxf7 Raf8 19.Bf4 Rxf7 20.Bxd6 Rf2+ 21.Kh1 Bxd6 22.Re1 Rhf8 23.Qg4+ Kc6 24.Ne6 R8f6 25.Nd4+ Kb6 26.Re2 Rf1+ 27.Kg2 Nc6 28.Nxc6 bxc6 29.c3 R1f5 30.b4 Kb7 31.Qg7+ Rf7 32.Qxh6 Bc7 33.Qe3 Bb6 34.d4 Bc7 35.h4 a5 36.a3 a4 37.Qd3 Rf1 38.b5 R1f6 39.bxc6+ Kxc6 40.Qa6+ Bb6 41.Qxa4+ Kb7 42.Qe8 Rf8 43.Re7+ Bc7 44.Qb5+ Rb6 45.Rxc7+ 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qh1!. Black’s futile options are: 1…e6 2.Sxf7#; 1…Rf5, Bf3 2.Rd7#; 1…f3 2.Qd1#; 1…Be6 2.Sb7#; 1…Qc5 2.Bc7#; 1…Sb4 2.c5#./PN
