Exciting draws
Only two games out of the first eight games of the Semifinals ended decisively. However, no one won the first set which means the score will be reset to zero for the second set and the winner of second set will advance to the Finals.
Artemiev - Firouzja: 2-2
Firouzja faltered in the rook and opposite color bishop endgame.
Artemiev - Firouzja, Game 1
52...Rc4+ turned out to be the decisive mistake for Black. Instead, 52...Rf3+ 53.Ke4 fxe5 54.Kxe5 Bb3 and Black stays in the game. Artemiev gained a 1-0 lead.
Firouzja tried to create some chances for himself in the rook and same color bishop endgame, but it yielded only a draw.
Third game was a hard-fought draw.
Firouzja got himself in trouble in the fourth game.
Firouzja - Artemiev, Game 4
28.Nb6 is not a good idea because of 28...Nxc5 which is what happened in the game. 29.Rd8 was played and now Black made the mistake of capturing it 29...Rxd8. Find out why it is a mistake and what Black could have done instead. Firouzja got an important win to tie the first set 2-2.
Carlsen - Aronian: 2-2
Second game was an exciting draw. Aronian sacrificed an exchange which turned things in his favor.
Aronian - Carlsen, Game 2
Taking on g7 now could have made a lot of difference, however, White continued 27.f3 and it became a missed opportunity. The third and fourth game also ended in draws. Thus, the first set got tied at 2-2.
Replay Semifinal 1 games
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Semifinal 1 results
Schedule
All games will start from 8:30 p.m. IST between 28th August and 5th September 2021.
Links
Champions Chess Tour official site
