The 2022 Velocity Chess Championship continued on Sunday with a spherical of 16 conflict between world championship challenger GM Ding Liren and SCC qualifier GM Alexander Grischuk. The match, which in the end led to a 14-12 victory for the Chinese language celebrity, was marked by fierce attacking play from the tremendous GMs and a superb queen sacrifice!
A one-point buffer was the one benefit Ding may take away after an hour and a half of play, however it proved to be simply sufficient to maintain his nostril in entrance heading into the bullet portion, the place he consolidated his lead and confirmed his quarterfinal placement.
The subsequent spherical of 16 match between GMs Ian Nepomniachtchi and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave will happen on November 28 at 10.00 a.m. PT / 19.00 CET.
Blitz 5|1: Ding 5-4 Grischuk
The opening stage of the match was a decent tussle, and after a game-one draw, the gamers started buying and selling decisive outcomes. Ding hit the entrance first when Grischuk flagged in a totally drawn, albeit imbalanced place. Commentator Pruess foreshadowed the sport as a “bullet preview,” a prediction that may later acquire advantage.
Two video games later Grischuk scored a win of his personal in a extra convincing style, taking solely 23 strikes to dispatch Ding and lock the scores up with some artful bishop play on the white aspect of a Ruy Lopez.
Grischuk’s victory sparked a string of six wins for the white items in a interval that featured a number of the most exhilarating chess of the match. Ding’s win in recreation seven was notably noteworthy because of a surprising transfer 19 queen sacrifice that left commentators Xiong and Pruess speechless.
Ding takes over the match lead with a surprising queen sacrifice!#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/K57pPJXsgr
— ChesscomLive (@ChesscomLive) November 27, 2022
The dazzling mixture made it a worthy contender for recreation of the day, which has been analyzed by GM Dejan Bojkov under.
Poised at 3.5-3.5 and with the 5+1 timer dwindling, Ding scored a win with the Reti Opening: Kings Indian Assault in what would turn out to be a important full level because the match carried on. Paradoxically, the sensible transfer that secured the outcome was 27.Nxb7, a brief knight sacrifice on the very same sq. because the queen sacrifice two video games earlier.
A tame draw closed out the primary stage of the match. SCC quarterfinalist and world quantity six GM Fabiano Caruana offered enlightening commentary by way of a touch upon Twitch, stating that Grischuk was “struggling” within the opening.
Blitz 3|1: Ding 4.5-4.5 Grischuk
By all counts, the three+1 phase was the closest part of the match. Nevertheless, it was Ding who initially stretched his lead after successful the opening recreation. Persevering with to belief in his 1.Nf3 setups, Ding equipped for a brutal kingside assault and crashed by means of.
Three attracts can be succeeded by yet one more win for Ding off the again of a savage mating web. The reside odds offered by SmarterChess launched as much as a 71% likelihood of a Ding victory in response to the scintillating assault.
Ding’s lead turns into harmful after his tough pawn sacrifice!
Will Grischuk be capable to summon a comeback?#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/0n2mnoIzEs
— ChesscomLive (@ChesscomLive) November 27, 2022
With the match slipping away from Grischuk, the three-time world blitz chess champion dug deep and received the ultimate two video games of the phase to cut back the deficit to a single level.
Bullet 1|1: Ding 4.5-3.5 Grischuk
The bullet began within the worst means doable for Grischuk as he misplaced connection and flagged, gifting Ding a vital win.
Happily for Grischuk, his connection improved within the following recreation, and he was capable of bounce again and win one of many messiest video games of the match. Amazingly, Ding possessed a +8 benefit through the middlegame, however Grischuk was capable of survive and switch the tables on his usually precise-moving opponent.
Grischuk makes an unimaginable time-scramble comeback to carry the match inside 1 level!#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/gQtmRynU1N
— ChesscomLive (@ChesscomLive) November 27, 2022
Within the subsequent recreation, the script continued because it had all match although, and Ding was capable of punish Grischuk for spending 20 seconds on one transfer! The indecision from Grischuk was not solely damning on the clock however pressured him into blundering on the very subsequent transfer after the lengthy assume.
With lower than 10 minutes remaining on the match clock and a three-point deficit encumbering Grischuk, he was capable of finding the vitality to make issues attention-grabbing as soon as extra and received a determined time scramble, placing himself in a state of affairs the place he wanted to win consecutive video games rapidly to tie the match.
Grischuk makes an unimaginable time-scramble comeback to carry the match inside 1 level!#SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/gQtmRynU1N
— ChesscomLive (@ChesscomLive) November 27, 2022
Ding was all class on Sunday although and comfortably drew the final recreation in 82 strikes. The long-winded recreation resulted in match clock expiry and a two-point victory for the Chinese language GM. Ding received $3076.92 for his match victory whereas Grischuk earned $923.08 for his efforts. Having booked his spot within the quarterfinals, Ding will play the winner of the match between GMs Anish Giri and Nihal Sarin.
All Video games – Spherical of 16
Velocity Chess Championship 2022 Bracket
The 2022 Velocity Chess Championships Essential Occasion begins on the twenty first of November and concludes on the sixteenth of December. Prime speed-chess gamers will compete at three totally different time controls in a 16-player knockout as they vie for a share of the $100,000 prize fund together with essentially the most prestigious title in on-line chess.
The likes of GMs Magnus Carlsen, Hikaru Nakamura, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Ding Liren, Nodirbek Abdusattorov, and lots of extra will battle it out to find out the 2022 velocity chess champion.
Earlier experiences:
