2022 Candidates, Round 2: A day of missed chances
On a day of draws, Hikaru Nakamura staged a recovery with a victory over Teimour Radjabov The second day of the 2022 Candidates saw just one game ending with a victory and three draws. Following a loss in the opening round, American Hikaru Nakamura made a recovery and beat Teimour Radjabov of Azerbaijan, scoring a victory after six and a half hours of play. In the Ruy Lopez, White (Nakamura) got a slightly better position after Black failed to find the optimal moves in the opening. White gradually increased pressure on his opponent, who was constantly on the back foot. Most likely, it would not have been enough for a victory had Radjabov not given up a pawn on the move 35. The rest of the game was not a smooth sail for Hikaru, but his patience and determination eventually paid off. After his loss in round one, this is an important victory for Nakamura as it helps him secure a good place early on in the tournament. The most anticipated game of the day, the duel between Ian Nepomniachtchi and Fabiano Caruana, ended in a draw. The two are the only tournament participants to have won the Candidates once already and are the only players who started with victories in round one. In the Italian Game, Caruana, playing with black pieces, stunned his opponent with a well-prepared surprise early on in the opening. Facing Caruana’s bombshell, Nepomniachtchi did not lose heart – he sacrificed a pawn and skilfully defended in a very complicated position. Still, in the end, the computer said Black had a sizable advantage. Caruana, however, either couldn’t see it or disliked the complications. After 33 moves, the two agreed to a draw. Nepomniachtchi and Caruana enter round three as the leaders, with 1.5/2. In another Italian Game, the duel between Jan-Krzysztof Duda and Ding Liren also ended in a draw. The Polish player had a slight edge throughout the game, but Ding managed to place his pieces well enough to prevent White from making progress. After careful manoeuvering on both sides, a draw was agreed on move 41. Following a devastating loss in the first round, a draw with black pieces will surely help the world’s second highest-rated player Ding Liren stabilize. As for Duda, he started the tournament with two draws and had chances in both games, so it remains to be seen if he can keep the flame going. Today was a special day for Alireza Firouzja, who celebrated his 19th birthday. The youngest player of the Candidates might not be happy with how he played, but he has all the reasons to celebrate after saving a lost endgame against Richard Rapport. After two rounds, Fabiano Caruana and Ian Nepomniachtchi lead the field with 1.5/2, followed by four players on one point: Rapport, Firouzja, Duda and Nakamura. World number two, Ding Liren and Teimour Radjabov are on half a point. Here follows a deeper look at the games from the first round of the 2022 Candidates tournament. Richard Rapport vs Alireza Firouzja: A lucky save by the birthday boy It was a special day for Alireza Firouzja as the youngest player of the Candidates turned 19. For some time, the eyes of the chess world have been on the young French superstar, whom many are comparing to Fischer. However, the special birthday mood did not reflect on the board as he struggled as Black against the innovative Richard Rapport. Despite this, Firouzja ended the day with a good reason to celebrate, having saved a lost endgame. In a rare Chekhover variation of the Sicilian, Rapport quickly exchanged his light-squared bishop for a knight, avoiding sharp lines and entering a calm, balanced position with a slightly better pawn structure for White (similar to one Rapport had as black against Duda in game one). White did a better job in the ensuing manoeuvering play and got a slight edge. By move 32, the two entered a rook endgame, but this was when Firouzja committed a grave mistake – 32….Ra1, allowing Black to capture on c6 and then double his rooks along the seventh rank. By move 37, White was completely winning, but then it was Rapport’s turn to err. He could have given a check on g7, followed by an exchange of a pair of rooks, leading to a supported free runner down the e-file and at the same time pinning Black’s d-pawn. Instead, he played 38.Ke4 (see a diagram below), giving some breathing space to Firouzja, who was defending well. Rapport couldn’t find the winning plan, and after 47.Rg6, he dropped the rest of his advantage, and the position was even. Firouzja then returned the favour with 51…Re7?, but Rapport did not accept the gift (52.Kf5! was winning) and opted for 52.b4, leading to a forced draw. Finally, on the move 60, the two sides agreed to split a point. That was a lucky save by Firouzja. Hikaru Nakamura vs Teimour Radjabov: Imprecision and pressure In the Ruy Lopez, Nakamura played d3 and denied Radjabov a chance to enter the main line of the Berlin Defence. Radjabov opted for a rare continuation (5…Nd4) where Black has to make several moves with a bishop in the centre. However, he spent significantly more time in the opening, suggesting he was out of the book. The price of this was soon felt on the board as Nakamura created a strong edge: Black had doubled pawns and a pawn on d7, which was blocking the development of his c8 bishop. Radjabov opted to sacrifice a pawn by playing d7-d5 to complete development and unlock the potential of his bishop pair. Having a 60-minute advantage, Nakamura gradually simplified the position: he returned the pawn and exchanged the queens but managed to place his rook in the Black’s back rank and put his knight on d4, towering over the board. The computer said the position was equal, but Radjabov had five minutes on seven moves to reach the first time control. Nakamura kept his cool: