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Opera Euro Rapid 2021 (Day 5)

Quarterfinals of the Opera Euro Rapid produce Carlsen-MVL and So-Radjabov semifinal pairings

Carlsen  and Dubov - close battle, neither player was happy with their performance. Photo ©

Carlsen and Dubov - close battle, neither player was happy with their performance. Photo © | https://chess24.com

The final day of the Opera Euro Rapid quarterfinals produced almost too much action to recount. First of all Wesley So built on his success of day one against Jan-Krzysztof Duda and won both the games played to go through. So is due to win one of these tour events, this could be it. Then Maxime Vachier-Lagrave went through, after his complete disaster in the over the board Tata Steel tournament he's looked a little back to his normal self. He only needed to draw the set against Levon Aronian today and won the first game but he went down in game three and had to hold on for a draw in the final game to go through. Magnus Carlsen can count himself extremely lucky to go through against Daniil Dubov, Carlsen started to make losing mistakes in almost all his games and it was only when Dubov started making equally serious errors in return that the World Champion went through in a final Armageddon tie-break. Teimour Radjabov prevailed over Anish Giri by winning a second blitz tie-break game in a match that could have gone either way.

I think a rest day between the preliminary and knockout sections would make a really big improvement to the Champions Chess Tour. As a spectator and reporter of these events I'd like it. One rest day would improve the quality of the chess, Even at this stage - after the quarter finals - there's evidence that endurance is becoming too big a factor.

Further details in the body of the article.

Semi-finals. Thursday 11th Feb 4pm GMT: Wesley So vs Teimour Radjabov - a repeat of the Skilling quarterfinal pairing. Magnus Carlsen vs MVL.

Meltwater Champions Chess Tour: Opera Euro Rapid. Quarterfinals day 2

Magnus Carlsen has been doing a lot of self-flagellation recently and perhaps today he really deserved it. "Thoroughly disgusting performance on my part, I got to be a lot better." - Carlsen said afterwards.

Carlsen has history with Daniil Dubov, most recently a loss at this stage of the last Champions Chess Tour event, the Airthings Masters. On day one Carlsen had a controlled and confident performance winning 2.5-0.5.

On day two, for a game an a half, it was more of the same, a draw with black and then a more than comfortable start to game two, then a single (very serious) blunder 18.Bd2? if he had played 18.f3 Carlsen would have probably gone on to win this game and all would have seemed well with his world. Instead, Carlsen all but fell apart, 18....Bg4 from Dubov was obvious and crushing, then a second losing blunder from Carlsen in game three 21...Qxb2? (taking Queens off and Carlsen would probably have held).

Two 25 move losses in half an hour, then in the first blitz game Carlsen was also completely busted after yet more serious errors. He lost the opening battle and then with 13.Kh1? (13.Kh2 and he's merely worse) he allowed 13...Bxh3 and he was in a lost position. It was at this point Carlsen got lucky, it was Dubov's turn to go completely wrong, 16...Nxa1 might have felt like a final killing blow but it was the wrong blow and it allowed Carlsen immediate equality, 16...Nd4 keeping what he had was objectively winning. Then Carlsen's 17.Bb2? left him lost again (17.Rg1=) 17...Rae8? from Dubov followed (17...f6! back to winning for Dubov) then finally 20...Re7? (20...Rxe5=). At this point Carlsen made no further mistakes and took the lead in the match. Carlsen was badly place in the return blitz game until 26.Bf5?! (26.Bg2!). Carlsen equalised and eventually reached a winning position until he played the losing 31...Bxb6? rather than the obvious and winning 31...axb5. Cue banging of the table by Carlsen. The bishops of opposite colours endgame two pawns up was tricky to win at fast time controls but Dubov got the job done eventually.

Carlsen, as winner of the preliminary section got to choose colours in the final decisive Armageddon game, he chose white, his problems against the Catalan was probably a factor. Carlsen got a big advantage, then 27.Qf3 threw most of it away (27.Qb6! or 27.Qe2) but in the end Carlsen had a position he could grind away with forever and quickly. Dubov had a thankless and nearly impossible defensive task, he lost on time in a lost position in the end. Carlsen

Teimour Radjabov won a second blitz game against Anish Giri to go through in a tight match where both players had their chances although they were both mostly very solid and hard to beat.

Meltwater Champions Chess Tour: Opera Euro Rapid. Quarterfinals day 2 Videos - 2 streams

Opera Euro Rapid KO 2021 chess24.com INT Sat 6th Feb 2021 - Sun 14th Feb 2021
Leading Round 1 (of 3) Standings:
RkName123Pts
Semifinals
1Carlsen, Magnus
1Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime
1So, Wesley
1Radjabov, Teimour
Quarterfinals
1Carlsen, Magnus1012
2Dubov, Daniil0101
1Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime112
2Aronian, Levon000
1So, Wesley112
2Duda, Jan-Krzysztof000
1Radjabov, Teimour0.50.512
2Giri, Anish0.50.501

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