Daniil Dubov leveled the score in the battle for the championship of the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge by beating Hikaru Nakamura, 2½-1½, in their second mini-match, extending their title fight to a third and final mini-match on the chess24.com playing server.
The Russian, who needed a victory to stay alive, began his quest by winning the opening game and then holding off Nakamura in the next three to gain the final rubber match with his opponent who took the first mini-match via a similar margin.
The winner of the title tiff takes the $45,000 top prize while the loser bags the $27,000 second prize pot.
Nakamura, H (2736)-Dubov, D (2699) [B30]
chess24.com (3.21) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.c3 Nf6 4.e5 Nd5 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 c4 7.Bc2 d5 8.exd6 Qxd6 9.0-0 Bg4 10.Qe2 0-0-0 11.Na3 Qe6 12.Qxe6+ Bxe6 13.b3 Bd5 14.bxc4 Nxc4 15.Nxc4 Bxc4 16.Re1 Bd3 17.Bxd3 Rxd3 18.Re3 Rd7 19.Ba3 e5 20.Bxf8 Rxf8 21.h4 f6 22.h5 Rfd8 23.Kf1 b6 24.g3 Kb7 25.Kg2 Ne7 26.Re4 Rd3 27.a4 Nc6 28.Re2 Na5 29.Ra2 Nc4 30.g4 R8d5 31.Nh4 Rxd2 32.Nf5 Rxa2 33.Rxa2 g6 34.hxg6 hxg6 35.Ne7 Rd7 36.Ng8 f5 37.gxf5 gxf5 38.Nh6 Rg7+ 39.Kf3 Rg5 40.Nf7 Rh5 41.Kg3 Rh7 42.Ng5 Rd7 43.Kh4 Rd3 44.Kh5 Rxc3 45.Kh6 Kc6 46.Kg6 f4 47.Ne4 Ra3 48.Rc2 Rxa4 49.Kf5 b5 50.Rc1 Ra3 51.Rd1 b4 52.Rd8 Nb6 53.Kxe5 b3 54.Rd6+ Kb5 55.Rd1 Kb4 56.Kd4 Ra5 57.Nc3 0-1
Dubov, D (2699)-Nakamura, H (2736) [A29]
chess24.com (3.22) 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 Qc8 14.a4 a5 15.bxa6 Rxa6 16.d4 Rd8 17.Qc2 Bf5 18.Qb3+ Be6 19.Qc2 Bf5 20.Be4 Bxe4 21.Qxe4 exd4 22.exd4 Bf8 23.Bf4 c6 24.Qc2 Nd5 25.Nxd5 Rxd5 26.Qb3 Qa8 27.Rfc1 Rxa4 28.Qxb7 Qxb7 29.Rxb7 Raxd4 30.Rxc6 Rd7 31.Rxd7 Rxd7 32.Kg2 Kf7 33.h4 h5 34.Ra6 Be7 35.Rc6 Bf8 36.Ra6 Be7 37.Rc6 Bf8 ½-½
Nakamura, H (2736)-Dubov, D (2699) [B35]
chess24.com (3.23) 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.h3 d6 10.Qd2 Bd7 11.0-0 Na5 12.Bh6 Rc8 13.Bxg7 Kxg7 14.Rad1 Qb6 15.Nd5 Nxd5 16.exd5 Qc5 17.Rfe1 Nxb3 18.Nxb3 Qxc2 19.Qd4+ Kg8 20.Qxa7 Qxb2 21.Qxb7 Qxa2 22.Ra1 Qc2 23.Qxd7 Qxb3 24.Rxe7 Red8 25.Qb7 Qxb7 26.Rxb7 Rc5 27.Raa7 Rf8 28.Rd7 Rxd5 29.Ra6 h5 30.Raxd6 Rxd6 31.Rxd6 Kg7 32.h4 Re8 33.g3 Re1+ 34.Kg2 Re8 35.Rd1 Re7 36.Rd8 Re6 37.Rd1 Re8 38.Rd7 Re6 39.Rd8 Re7 40.Rd1 Re6 41.Rf1 Rc6 42.Rg1 Rc4 43.Rf1 Rc6 44.Rg1 Rc4 45.Rf1 Rc6 ½-½
Dubov, D (2699)-Nakamura, H (2736) [A81]
chess24.com (3.24) 2020
1.d4 f5 2.g3 Nf6 3.Bg2 g6 4.Nd2 Nc6 5.Ngf3 Bg7 6.0-0 0-0 7.Re1 d5 8.c4 e6 9.b3 Ne4 10.Bb2 g5 11.Rc1 g4 12.Ne5 Nxe5 13.dxe5 c6 14.f3 Nxd2 15.Qxd2 h5 16.f4 h4 17.c5 Kf7 18.Bd4 Rh8 19.Kf2 Bd7 20.Rc3 Bf8 21.Rg1 Be7 22.Ke1 Qc7 23.Kd1 b6 24.Qe3 Qb7 25.Rc2 Rab8 26.Ke1 Qa6 27.Kf2 h3 28.Bf1 bxc5 29.Bxc5 Rb5 30.Bxe7 Kxe7 31.Qd2 Qa3 32.e3 Ra5 33.Bd3 c5 34.Rgc1 Rb8 35.Be2 Rb6 36.Bf1 Bc8 37.e4 d4 38.Bd3 Bd7 39.Re1 Qb4 40.Qxb4 cxb4 41.exf5 exf5 42.Ree2 Be6 43.Red2 Rb7 44.Bc4 Rc7 45.Bxe6 Rxc2 46.Rxc2 Kxe6 47.Ke2 Kd5 48.Kd3 Ra6 49.Re2 Re6 50.Rc2 Ra6 51.Re2 Ke6 52.Kxd4 Rc6 53.Ke3 Rc3+ 54.Kd2 Rf3 55.Re3 Rf1 56.Re1 Rf2+ 57.Re2 Rg2 58.Kd1 Ke7 59.Kd2 Kd7 60.Kd1 Ke6 61.Kd2 Kd5 62.e6 Rxe2+ 63.Kxe2 Kxe6 64.Kd3 Kd5 65.Ke3 a6 66.Kd3 Kc5 67.Ke3 Kd5 68.Kd3 a5 69.Ke3 Kc5 70.Kd3 Kd5 71.Ke3 Kc5 72.Kd3 Kd5 ½-½
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qc6!. Black’s futile options are: 1…Bxd7 2.Qxb7#; 1…axb6 2.Qa4#; 1…a6/a5 2.R(x)a6#; 1…bxc6 2.Rb8#; 1…cxb6 2.Qxc8#./PN
