The race for the Tata Metal chess match is now all the way down to a two-horse race between Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa after a dramatic day on the prestigious occasion in Wijk aan Zee. All three members of India’s golden era — Gukesh, Pragg and Arjun Erigaisi — made some superb strikes in Spherical 12, the penultimate day of the match, involving sacrifices that made jaws drop.
Gukesh was held to a draw by Jorden van Foreest. It was a sport the place Gukesh, enjoying with black items, had refused a draw by repetition, then had held an amazing edge, after which allowed the Dutchman the prospect to claw his method again to parity on the board. In the midst of the sport, he had courted extreme time hassle, sacrificing his rook on transfer 39 (39… Rxe5) with simply three seconds left on the clock, in one of many strikes of the match.
Gukesh was the only chief coming into the eleventh spherical with a half a degree edge over Praggnanandhaa and Nodirbek Abdusattarov. Gukesh’s draw signifies that each Indians are locked at 8.5 factors every.
INTERACTIVE: How Gukesh was held by Jorden van Foreest
- 01
All of the strikes from Gukesh vs Jorden Van Foreest
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bf4 c6 6. e3 Bf5 7. Nge2 Nd7 8. Rc1 Ngf6 9. Ng3 Bg6 10. h4 h5 11. Be2 Qb6 12. Qd2 Ng4?! (Inaccuracy. O-O was finest — 12… O-O 13. O-O a5 14. Bf3 Rfe8 15. Qe2 Qa6 16. Qd1 Qd3 17. Qxd3 Bxd3 18. Rfd1)
13. Bg5 Bd6 14. Bf4 Be7 15. Bg5 Qd8 16. f3 Ngf6 17. O-O Nh7
18. Bxe7?! (Inaccuracy. f4 was finest — 18. f4 Nxg5 19. fxg5 Nb6 20. Bd3 O-O 21. Qe2 Qd7 22. Nxh5 Bxd3 23. Qxd3 Qg4(
18… Qxe7
19. f4?! (Inaccuracy. Kf2 was finest — 19. Kf2 Nb6 20. b3 O-O 21. Rh1 Nf6 22. Bd1 Nc8 23. Nce2 Nd6 24. Nf4 a6)
19… Qxh4 20. Qe1 f5 21. Nxh5 Qe7 22. Bf3 Bxh5 23. Bxh5+ Kf8 24. Nd1 Nb6 25. Bg6 Qe6 26. Qb4+ Kg8 27. Bxh7+ Rxh7 28. Rf3 Re8 29. Nf2 Nc4 30. Nd3 Rh4 31. Ne5 b5 32. Qc5 Qh6 33. Kf2 Re6 34. Rxc4 dxc4 35. Qxa7 Qf6 36. Rg3 Rh1 37. Nd7 Qd8 38. Ne5 Re7
39. Qa6?? (Blunder. Qa3 was finest — 39. Qa3 Re8 40. Nxc6 Qa8 41. Qd6 Qxa2 42. Rxg7+ Kh8 43. Rg8+ Rxg8 44. Qf6+ Kh7)
39… Rxe5 40. fxe5 f4 41. Rh3 fxe3+ 42. Ke2 42… Rb1?? (Blunder. Rxh3 was finest)
43. Qxc6 Rxb2+ 44. Kf3 Qf8+ 45. Ke4 Rf2 46. Qe6+ Rf7?? (Blunder. Qf7 was finest)
47. Rxe3?? (Blunder. Qg6 was finest — 47. Qg6 Qa8+)
47… Qa8+ 48. d5 Qxa2 49. Qc8+ Rf8 50. Qe6+ Rf7 51. Qc8+
- 02
All of the strikes from Praggnanandhaa vs Alexey Sarana
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 exd5 5. Bg5 c6 6. Qc2 Be6 7. e3 Nbd7 8. Be2 Bd6 9. Bd3 h6 10. Bh4 g5 11. Bg3 Bxg3 12. hxg3 Qe7 13. Nf3 g4 14. Nh4 Nb6 15. O-O O-O-O 16. a4 Kb8 17. a5 Nc4 18. Na4?! (Inaccuracy. a6 was finest — 18. a6 b5)
18… Nd6 19. Nc5 a6 20. Rfc1 Bc8 21. Qb3 21… Nb5?? (Blunder. Ka8 was finest — 21… Ka8 22. Na4 Nfe4 23. Rc2 Rhe8 24. Kh2 Ka7 25. Qb6+ Ka8 26. Rd1 Be6 27. Qb4)
22. Nxa6+ bxa6 23. Rxc6 Rd7?! (Inaccuracy. Ka8 was finest — 23… Ka8 24. Bxb5 axb5 25. Nf5 Qe8 26. Rxf6 Bxf5 27. Rxf5 Qc6 28. e4 h5 29. Rxd5)
24. Nf5 Qd8 25. Bxb5 axb5 26. a6 Ra7 27. Qxb5+ Ka8 28. Nd6 Bd7?? (Checkmate is now unavoidable. h5 was finest — 28… h5 29. e4 dxe4 30. Rxc8+ Qxc8 31. Nxc8 Rxc8 32. Qf5 Nd7 33. Qxe4+ Kb8 34. d5)
29. Qb7+
- 03
All of the strikes from Arjun Erigaisi vs Nodirbek Abdusattorov
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 d6 5. e3 O-O 6. Bd3 c5 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. O-O Bxc3 9. Qxc3 Qe7 10. dxc5 dxc5 11. Ne5 Nxe5 12. Qxe5 Rd8 13. Bc2 Ng4 14. Qg3 e5 15. f3 Nf6 16. b3 Nh5 17. Qf2 17… Bd7 18. Bb2 Bc6 19. Rad1 h6 20. h3 Nf6 21. Qg3 Rxd1 22. Rxd1 Re8 23. a4 Nh5 24. Qf2 Qg5?? (Blunder. e4 was finest)
25. g4 f5 26. h4 Qg6 27. Bxf5 Qf7 28. Rd6 Nf6 29. g5 hxg5 30. hxg5 Nh5 31. Bg4 Qe7 32. Rxc6?? (Blunder. Rg6 was finest)
32… bxc6 33. Bxh5 Qxg5+ 34. Bg4 e4 35. Kf1 Qg6 36. Qc2 Rf8?? (Blunder. Qh7 was finest — 36… Qh7 37. Kg1 Qg6 38. a5 Qg5 39. Kf1 Qxe3 40. Bc1 Qd4 41. Bh5 Rf8 42. Kg2)
37. Qg2 exf3 38. Be6+ Kh7 39. Qh3+ Qh6 40. Kf2 Rb8 41. Bf5+ g6 42. Bxg6+ Kxg6 43. Qe6+ Kh5 44. Bf6 Qh7 45. Qe5+ Kg6 46. Qxb8
Erigaisi, who had been winless prior to now 24 video games at Tata Metal masters part, was not within the race for the title. However he delivered an help for his Olympiad teammates Gukesh and Praggnanandhaa by taking down Nodirbek Abdusattarov in 46 strikes.
For the Uzbek GM, that is now the third time in three editions that his Tata Metal masters problem has unravelled within the last video games.
The blunder from Abdusattarov got here within the twenty fourth transfer when he moved his queen to e5 (24… Qg5??). In doing so, he made it potential for Erigaisi to pile on strain on his queen and the knight stationed on h5. Erigaisi has been low on confidence all match, however right here he didn’t miss. He performed 25. g4, thus making use of the squeeze along with his pawn.
INTERACTIVE: How Arjun Erigaisi beat Nodirbek Abdusattarov
Abdusattarov discovered a magical transfer to extract his queen and the knight out of the lure. However Erigaisi held the higher hand on the board since that transfer. Regardless of a slight wobble afterward, he managed to pressure a resignation.
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Praggnanandhaa, in the meantime, took down Alexey Sarana for his third consecutive win. His win took him to eight.5 factors, one full level forward of Abdusattarov. Pragg held a bonus on the board from the twenty first transfer after a blunder from his opponent (21… Nb5??). Pragg by no means let the strain slip up from that time: at one stage a queen, a rook, a knight and a pawn from Pragg’s military have been closing in on Sarana’s king who was actually in a nook on the a8 sq..
INTERACTIVE: How Praggnanandhaa beat Alexey Sarana
The tip of the sport got here with a pleasant transfer: with a queen sacrifice from Praggnanandhaa on transfer 29 when he threw his strongest piece on b7 for a sacrifice like a grenade (29. Qb7+).
Sarana instantly resigned.
The match now hinges on the final spherical, the place all eyes will probably be on the three flagbearers of India’s golden era. Erigaisi, having mustered some confidence from right this moment’s win, will tackle Gukesh whereas Pragg meets Gukesh’s world championship second, Vincent Keymer.
