Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz: Day 2 Recap

Day 2 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz saw a lot of action with the new leaders taking over. The world #1 Magnus Carlsen and Wei Yi of China had a great second day and share the lead with tree rapid games to go. Magnus scored an impressive 5/6 (two points for a win and one for a draw), while the Chinese GM won all three games. 

The former leader, Kirill Shevchenko, struggled on the second day, making just one draw in three games. He is tied for third place with Praggnanandhaa.

Round 4

Anish Giri misplayed a superior position against Wei Yi, allowing his opponent to exert some pressure on the kingside. Still, the Dutchman was OK, but one erroneous move shutting down his rook cost him the game.

Anish Giri – Wei Yi

White is fine after 37. g4 fxg4 38. Bxg4. Giri, however, played 37. b4? but after 37… hxg3+ 38. Rxg3 Rg4 39. Qf1 d4 40. Ra7? Bh4 Wei launched a crushing attack and delivered checkmate on move 44. 

Gikesh D and Jan-Krzysztof Duda defeated Praggnanandhaa R and Arjun Erigaisi, respectively, to earn their first victories in the event. 

Shevchenko – Carlsen was a solid draw, whereas Vincent Keymer botched an overwhelming position against Nodirbek Abdusattorov and had to split points with his opponent. 

Round 5

It has been the most exciting round in the event so far, with all five games ending in a victory. 

Magnus Carlsen outsmarted Nodirbek Abdusattorov in an equal endgame.

Magnus Carlsen – Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Black could have held his ground with a paradoxical 54..Qe4! trading the queens. Instead, Nodirbek played 54…b5? but after 55. Qf4 Qe6? (55…Qe4 was still better) 56. Qd4+  Kh7 57. Nf4! e2 58. Nxe2 Qxe2 59. Qxd5 Magnus slowly but surely converted his two extra pawns. 

Gukesh D got the better of Vincent Keymer in a very complicated battle and wrapped it up with a nice tactic. 

Vincent Keymer – Gukesh D

40…Qxf3! forcing resignation in view of 41. gxf3 Rc2+ 0-1

Wei Yi completely outplayed Jan-Krzysztof Duda in the trendy line of Giuocco Piano and achieved complete domination.

Wei Yi – Jan-Krzysztof Duda

Despite equal material Black has no reasonable defense against numerous threats. Being short on the clock, Jan-Krzysztof resigned. 

Praggnanandhaa R defeated Anish Giri in a short, fierce melee, while Erigaisi, facing Shevchenko, won a pawn and converted it into a full point in an exemplary fashion. 

Round 6

In the  game of the round, Carlsen – Gukesh, Magnus made an exchange sacrifice to unleash the potential of his bishops. 

Gukesh D – Magnus Carlsen

25… Rxe3!  After 26. fxe3 Bc5! Gukesh erred with 27. Nf3? handing Carlsen a decisive advantage. 27… Bxe3+ 28. Kf1 Bc6! 29. Qd1 Be4! 30. Qd7. Unfortunately for Magnus, it was his turn to make a mistake.

Carlsen could have sealed the deal with 30…Bd3+ with the idea of 31…Qb6! Instead the world #1 opted for 30… Kh7, but after 31. Ke2! Bb6 32. Re1 Qg6 33. Kd1 Qxg2 34. Rxe4 Gukesh got out of danger | ½ – ½, 39 moves

Praggnanandhaa R scored a second win in a row, trapping Vincent Keymer’s queen.

Praggnanandhaa R – Vincent Keymer

Vincent could have put up a stubborn resistance with 54…Qf5 whereas after 54… c6? 55. f5  Qh5 56. Nd6 Rd8 57. g4 Qg5 58. Nde4 Black’s queen perishes 1-0

Meanwhile, Wei Yi notched up his third straight victory, beating Kirill Shevchenko with the black pieces, and caught up with Carlsen. 

Check out Day 2 Recap Video by IM Kostya Kavutskiy

Day 3 of the Superbet Poland Rapid & Blitz continues Thursday, May 10, with live commentary from GM Yasser Seirawan, IM Jovanka Houska, and IM Nazi Paikidze starting at 6:00 AM CDT.

Photos: courtesy of Grand Chess Tour

Official website: grandchesstour.org/tours/2024/