Grischuk Through to Finals of Moscow Grand Prix; Awaits Opponent
Both semifinals started with draws, so a win on Friday could clinch either match. Grischuk, who had White, was able to take advantage.
The opening was a Catalan, which has been very heavily analyzed. Nakamura chose an aggressive continuation and Grischuk sacrificed a pawn, giving him a lasting initiative. Though chances were objectively equal, the position was much easier to play as White. The players repeated moves a couple of times, but Grischuk chose not to repeat the position, which would have led to a draw.
The position became increasingly complicated, but Grischuk navigated the situation a little better than Nakamura, who found himself under greater and greater pressure. Grischuk finally restored material equality on Move 29 by winning a pawn, but his position remained better and easier to play.
Nakamura erred with 31 … Bf6, and then cracked with 35 … Nb6. Grischuk pounced with 36 Ne5 and then 37 Nc6! After a forced sequence of moves, Grischuk had won a pawn and had a significant edge in an endgame.
Grischuk eventually won a second pawn, which was decisive. Nakamura resigned after 54 moves, allowing Grischuk to advance.
In an interview after, Grischuk said he sort of expected the variation that Nakamura played, but that he believed it is a very difficult line for Black to defend. Still, he said it was not easy, mentioning that at one point he calculated 15 moves deep (!), but found a resource for Black.
For his part, Nakamura pointed to 25… Kh8 as a crucial mistake because he overlooked 26 Bd3.
In the other semifinal game, Wojtaszek had White and played a relatively passive opening against Nepomiachtchi’s King Indian formation. White’s set up did not pose any particular problems for Nepomniachtchi and he managed to equalize without trouble. The players agreed to a draw after only 22 moves, sending their match into overtime.
The tie-breaker begins at 3 PM local time on Saturday. The broadcast can be viewed free and live at worldchess.com.
Report by Dylan Loeb McClain
Semifinal game 2 results:
A. Grischuk – H. Nakamura 1-0 (1.5-0.5)
R. Wojtaszek – I. Nepomniachtchi 1/2-1/2 (1-1)
Link to the photos of the semifinals.
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