Battle Of Escape Artists: Andreikin Wins 2nd Knockout

GM Dmitry Andreikin won week 17 of the 2022 Rapid Chess Championship presented by Coinbase, overcoming GM Jules Moussard, who made it to the final in his first-ever knockout.

GMs Vladimir Fedoseev and Nodirbek Abdusattorov made it to the semifinals. GMs Levon Aronian, Hikaru Nakamura, Maxim Matlakov, and Raunak Sadhwani finished in the quarterfinals. 

Participating in the event were 56 competitors—now open to all GMs as well as the top-10 women, top-10 juniors, as well as 10 wildcards. The event continues next weekend, June 11-12, starting at 9 a.m. PT / 18:00 CEST.

• Swiss
• Knockout
• Standings, Results, Prizes

Swiss

Fedoseev won first with seven points, beginning the tournament with a 5-0 winning streak, including a 28-move victory over Nakamura in round four.

Aronian tied with seven points, defeating Fedoseev in round six with a clever queen trap to end his perfect score.

Moussard finished third with 6.5 points, qualifying for his first knockout. 

Andreikin finished fourth, defeating GM Jeffery Xiong in a must-win final round to secure qualification. 

Saturday Swiss | Final Standings (Top 20)

(Full final standings here.)

Knockout

Fedoseev won a closely-fought game vs. Matlakov by pressing and gradually increasing his small edge from the middlegame into the ending. 

Andreikin achieved an amazing escape against Raunak, working his way out of a position where he could barely move to a threatening king attack.

In the Aronian vs. Abdusattorov rapid game, the players gradually traded down into an even ending and drew. In the blitz playoff, Aronian uncharacteristically overlooked a tactical sequence, leaving Abdusattorov a bishop ahead. 

In the next match, Moussard sacrificed the exchange for a pawn against Nakamura, counting on his grip on the queenside and d5-square to compensate. However, Moussard soon blundered, allowing Nakamura to play 24...d5, gaining a winning position just four minutes into the game. As commentator GM Daniel Naroditsky remarked, "In a rapid game, it just takes a lot of fuel to sustain compensation like that." 

In a rapid game, it just takes a lot of fuel to sustain compensation like that.

-GM Daniel Naroditsky

To the shock of the commentators and all watching, Moussard held on resourcefully for many moves, eventually drawing on move 79. 

In their blitz playoff, Moussard shocked again by balancing both attack and defense to take down the Rapid Chess Championship overall leader. 

After the game, Moussard shared his thoughts: "I didn't believe in my chances after the opening in the first game. I thought I was dead, but he got careless... After that, I was very happy because I was pretty sure he would feel disappointed after the miss in the rapid game, and the momentum was with me. I was playing for a win, even with black, because I wanted to avoid the bullet at all costs."

I was playing for a win, even with black, because I wanted to avoid the bullet at all costs.

-GM Jules Moussard

In the Fedoseev vs. Andreikin semifinal clash, Fedoseev missed a key tactical opportunity, letting his advantage slip away. Can you find the move he overlooked?

Andreikin focused on piece activity while his opponent focused on material gain, eventually checkmating the same way he did against Raunak.

Moussard outplayed Abdusattorov in an instructive ending with the better pawn structure, eventually winning in the arising opposite color bishop endgame. 

In the final, Moussard blundered a critical pawn on the 15th move.

Eventually, Andreikin pushed the extra passed pawn down the center of the board, gaining a crushing position. Even with internet difficulties that cost him a majority of his remaining time, Andreikin played accurately and prevailed. 

With his second knockout victory, Andreikin leapfrogs to second place on the overall Rapid Chess Championship scoreboard, surpassing GM Fabiano Caruana.

Standings, Results, Prizes

The winner of the Swiss tournament is Fedoseev, and the winner of the knockout tournament is Andreikin. Below are the full standings and prizes of the knockout:

Sunday Knockout | Final Standings

The Rapid Chess Championship is a weekly tournament held by Chess.com. It is a nine-round Swiss event with a 10+0 time control held every Saturday, followed by a knockout event on Sunday between the top-eight finishers and a 10+2 time control. If players draw, they play a 3+2 game; if drawn, they play a 1+1 game; and if that is drawn, a single armageddon game is played.

The Rapid Chess Championship is brought to you by Coinbase. Whether you’re looking to make your first crypto purchase or you’re an experienced trader, Coinbase has you covered. Earn crypto by learning about crypto with Coinbase Earn, explore DeFi and web3 with Coinbase Wallet, get exclusive rewards when you spend with Coinbase Card, and much more. Learn more at coinbase.com/chess and get $10 in bitcoin when you sign up and verify your account.

Previous coverage

• Grischuk Wins Knockout: Rapid Chess Championship Week 16
• Nakamura Wins 5th Knockout: Rapid Chess Championship Week 15
• Nakamura Wins 4th Knockout: Rapid Chess Championship Week 14
• Nakamura Wins Third Knockout: Rapid Chess Championship Week 13
• Nepomniachtchi Wins Knockout: Rapid Chess Championship Week 12
• Sarana's First Knockout Victory: Rapid Chess Championship Week 11
• Aronian Clinches Knockout: Rapid Chess Championship Week 10
• Nakamura Wins Knockout: Rapid Chess Championship Week 9
• Rapid Chess Championship Week 8: Maghsoodloo Wins Swiss and Knockout
• Rapid Chess Championship Week 7: Andreikin Wins Knockout
• Rapid Chess Championship Week 6: Matlakov Wins Knockout
• Rapid Chess Championship Week 5: Nakamura Bests Aronian
• Rapid Chess Championship Week 4: Aronian Wins Knockout
• Rapid Chess Championship Week 3: Caruana Wins Second Consecutive Week
• Rapid Chess Championship Week 2: Caruana Wins
• Rapid Chess Championship Week 1: Nepo Strikes Back And Wins
• 2022 Rapid Chess Championship: All The Information