The secomd game of the two-game finals match for the FIDE Grand Prix Series opening leg in Berlin between Levon Aronian and Hikaru Nakamura also ended in a fighting draw Wednesday. The two will now play a two-game rapid encounter and if these do not produce a decision, then a final Armageddon match will be played.
The two finalists are evenly matched. Indeed, both have displayed a remarkable playing level.
Aronian,L (2772)-Nakamura,H (2736)
Berlin playoff (2.2) 2022
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.d3 Nf6 5.0-0 d6
[5…0-0 6.h3 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Re1 Be6 9.c3 h6 10.b4 Bb6 11.b5 Na5 12.Bxd5 Bxd5 13.Nxe5 Re8 14.Nd2 Bxf2+ 15.Kxf2 Rxe5 16.Kg1 Qe7 17.Rf1 Qc5+ 18.d4 Qxc3 19.dxe5 Qxa1 20.Nb3 Qxa2 21.Qxd5 Qxb3 0-1 and black won in 39 moves in Aronian,L-Nakamura,H chess24.com 2021]
6.c3 a6 7.a4 Ba7 8.Na3 Ne7 9.Nc2 Ng6 10.Be3 Bxe3 11.Nxe3 0-0 12.a5 c6 13.Bb3 h6 14.Bc2 Re8 15.Re1 Qc7
[15…d5 16.exd5 cxd5 17.d4 e4 18.Nd2 Nf4 19.f3 Bd7 20.Kh1 Qc7 21.fxe4 dxe4 ½-½ (33) Keuter,K (2421)-Bastos,P (2460) GER email 2016]
16.d4 exd4 17.Qxd4 c5 18.Qd2 Bg4 19.Nxg4 Nxg4 20.Qd1 b5 [20…Rad8=] 21.axb6! Qxb6 22.Nd2 Qxb2 23.Nc4 Qxc3 24.Nb6
[24.Nxd6 Rad8! 25.Qxg4 Rxd6t]
24…Rab8 25.Nd5 Qb2 26.Rb1! Qa2 27.Ra1 Qb2 28.Rb1 Qa2 29.Ra1! Qb2! ½-½
******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE, MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Rff3!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Qd5 2.Rde3#; 1…Qc8 2.Bc6#; 1…Bd4 2.Rxd4#; 1…gxf3, Rhxf3, Rfxf3 2.exf3#; 1…Rh5, Ng3 2.Rfe3#.
