Congratulations to Levon Aronian and Fabiano Caruana on defeating Alexander Grischuk and Leinier Dominguez respectively and qualifying for the semifinals. Both matches were highly contentious and were decided in the final clutch game. Dominguez and Grischuk are eliminated from the event, earning $15,000 each, with Grischuk picking up an extra $4,000 for his clutch game victories.
Two very exciting semifinal matches are ahead as Aronian takes World Champion Carlsen, while Caruana and So show a rematch of Clutch Chess USA finals. The action will resume on Thursday as players take a rest day today.
Levon Aronian vs Alexander Grischuk 10-8
It comes as no surprise that the match between these two entertaining and creative players was a nail-biter. Even though Aronian entered the day with a two-point lead, the match could have gone either way at any moment. After a draw in the first game, Grischuk punished his opponent’s adventurous pawn grab, narrowing the gap. Although Grischuk is a three-time World Blitz Champion, he is notorious for time trouble in longer games and was severely punished for it in game three. Game 10 ended in a draw after Grischuk missed several opportunities to score the victory. However, the game was irrelevant for the standings, as the Russian Grandmaster needed to score a win and a draw in the final two clutch games to advance to the semifinals.
He accomplished the first part of this task in the penultimate game with an aggressive attack right out of the opening, leapfrogging his opponent and only needing a draw in the final game. The dramatic final game was the perfect culmination to the match. The evaluation of the position changed several times throughout the encounter, but it was Grischuk who made the decisive mistake, allowing a beautiful tactical sequence that sealed the deal for his opponent. With this true clutch win, the Armenian Grandmaster earned an extra $4,000 and a spot in the semifinals.
Fabiano Caruana vs Leinier Dominguez 10.5 – 7.5
This back and forth match was a fierce battle, which resulted in four decisive games. Surprisingly, the tumultuous pre-clutch games all ended in Black’s favor. Since the disaster in the first game, Caruana’s Caro Kann has held up quite nicely, yielding him two points on the second day of the match. Dominguez’s wins were in the Nimzo-Indian after long technical battles. His second win of the day came as Caruana blundered on move 81, finding himself in a zugzwang.
Dominguez entered the clutch games with a three-point deficit but could still advance to the semifinals with a win and a draw. Caruana mishandled the winning rook endgame in a time scramble in game 11, allowing his opponent to escape with a draw and keep his hopes alive. In the final game, the world number two’s new pet line, the Caro Kann Defense, proved to be unbreakable as Caruana earned a draw to qualify for the semifinals.
Text: WGM Tatev Abrahamyan
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