Is Keymer Winning? | Impressions Round 5 | GRENKE Chess Classic 2019

Congratulations to Pouya Idani on winning the 2nd Guotai Cup Belt and Road International after a last-round thriller against Wang Hao (who would have taken the title with a win & was winning for a while!):

🔸12th Kings Rapid 2018
🔸Round 4
⚪️Parligras,M (2645)
⚫️Istratescu,A (2565)
🔸0-1

47...Ra4! [After this move, the White's knight cannot get out of the pin. Then, Black will be able to increase his pressure on it.]

[47...d4? 48.Rc2! △Rc6 48...Rc3 49.Ra2 d3 50.Ra8+ Kg7 51.Nh5+ Rxh5 52.Kxh5 Rc5+ 53.Kg4 d2 54.Rd1 Rd5 55.Kf3 Bb4=]

48.Rc1 [48.Rgf2 Ree4 49.Kf5 Bxf4 50.Rxf4 Rxf4+ 51.Rxf4 Rxf4+ 52.Kxf4 b5 53.Ke5 b4 54.Kd4 Kg7–+]

48...Rxf4+! [48...Ree4!? is just as good: 49.g7 Rxf4+ 50.Kh5 Bc5–+]

49.Kxf4 Re1+ 50.Kf5 Rxc1 51.Ke6 Bc5 52.Kxd5 Kg7 53.Rg3 Rg1 54.Rf3 Rxg6–+

⚪️#199 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Demidov,M (2520)
🔸Kabanov,N (2450)
🔸ch-RUS Rapid GP Final 2018

22.Rg1!? [22.Rh2! with the idea of doubling his rooks on the d-file which would make queenside castling even harder for Black. 22...b6 23.Ba6 Bc8 24.Bxc8 Rxc8 25.Rhd2 Rc7 26.Rd6+–; 22.a4!? c5 23.Nd5 Nxd5 24.Rxd5+–]

22...b6 23.Na4 [¹23.Ba6±]

23...Kd8 24.Nb2 Kc7+/=

1–0

⚪️#199 (Endgame-White to Move)
🔸Kabanov,N (2450)
🔸Kokarev,Dm (2598)
🔸ch-RUS Rapid GP Final 2018

46.Qc2? [46.Qxd4! exd4 47.Nd3 Kf6 48.Kg1 Ne5 49.Nc5 Nc6 50.Nd3 Ne5 51.Nc5 Nc6 52.Nd3=; 46.Qb1? Nxc5 47.bxc5 Qxc5 48.Qa1 Qd4 49.Qe1 b5 50.axb6 Qxb6 51.h4 gxh4 52.Qxh4 Qe3 53.Qg4+ Qg5 54.Qe2 Qc1+ 55.Kh2 a5 56.Qa6 Qf4+ 57.Kg1 Qxe4 58.Qxa5 Qxf5–+]

46...Nxc5 47.bxc5 Qa1+ 48.Kh2 Qxa5 49.Qc4 Qd8 50.Qb3 Qd7 51.Qb6 Qc6 52.Qb4 a5 53.Qxa5 Qxe4 54.Qc7 Qxf5 55.Qxb7 Qf4+

0–1

⚪️#200 (Strategy-White to Move)
🔸Kokarev,Dm (2598)
🔸Sjugirov,S (2663)
🔸ch-RUS Rapid GP Final 2018

Unity Chess Strategy Multiple Choice 200
public poll

B) f4 – 7
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 78%
@mahyarebrahimi1983, Nikhil, Alexander, @Sophia_Giraffe, Atharva a lion that is 10 years…, Hansika, Kasyap

A) h3 – 1
👍 11%
Gavin

C) Nd4 – 1
👍 11%
Max

👥 9 people voted so far.

⚪️#200 (Endgame-White to Move)
🔸Shuvalova,Polina (2441)
🔸Demidov,M (2520)
🔸ch-RUS Rapid GP Final 2018

Unity Chess Endgame Multiple Choice 200
public poll

A) Kd4 – 7
👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 50%
@mahyarebrahimi1983, Nikhil, @Sophia_Giraffe, @A_Wild_Richard, Atharva, Hansika, Kasyap

C) Kd3 – 4
👍👍👍👍 29%
Max, Gavin, Alexander, Srikar

B) Kb5 – 3
👍👍👍 21%
Atilla, @Squirtle1, @Aryan13AKS

👥 14 people voted so far.

In the late 40s - early 50s, Alexander Kotov was probably among the top 10 chess players in the world. That is, the level of 2760-2780 by modern standards. But who now remembers this grandmaster?

@UnityChess