I’m so close—yet so far—from the World Rapid & Blitz Team Championships, which began yesterday, June 11th, in London, England. This morning, I woke up in Ireland, where I’m attending the wedding of a wonderful friend and talented chef, David O’Dwyer. Still recovering from last night’s festivities, I rolled over and read some incredible news in a chess.com article by Collin McGourty: one of my favorite players, GM Sam Sevian, had defeated the indomitable GM Alireza Firouzja! Firouzja, notably, is the youngest player ever to reach the lofty milestone of a 2800 rating in chess.
I’ve always had a soft spot for GM Sevian, as I played against him in the 1st Metropolitan International over a decade ago. At the time, he was rated 2250, and I managed to hold a draw from the White side of a Marshall Gambit. The night before, I’d been studying an article on a rare line involving 13.Re2, and I decided to spring it on the 10-year-old Sevian. He spent over an hour on one move, frustrated that he couldn’t gain an advantage against a player rated 300 points below him. I held a comfortable draw—and over the years, I’ve even received a few approving nods from Sevian!
What an incredible upset by Sam, especially considering Firouzja is rated nearly 150 points higher. Sevian’s win allowed Vishy Anand’s Team Freedom to draw Firouzja’s team, WR Chess. This result may also be partly due to GM Ian Nepomniachtchi being unable to make it through customs!
I’ve highlighted a few fun moves from their game as a few fun little puzzles - the Answers are at the bottom of the page!
First, it’s fascinating that GM Sevian opted for a very unusual setup in the Italian Game. I really love this move:
Next, this move stands out for showing how activity and pressure can outweigh pawn structure:
Finally, this wasn’t a hard move to find, but it’s a clean finish. It’s ALWAYS important to know how to close games efficiently with solid endgame technique:
Great game! I’ll definitely be following the tournament closely—11-year-old IM Faustino Oro beat GM David Navara, and 16-year-old GM Ediz Gurel took down the legendary GM MVL! The kids are just incredible these days—I love to see it.
Anyway, I’m off to drive around Ireland and see some beautiful scenery! I hope to play some chess later this week (other than the blindfold game I played against a friend’s kid last night!)
Sincerely,
Coach Q
ANSWERS:
Image 2 - 15.0-0-0! - White gives the f2 pawn but gets back the e5 with some pressure
Image 3 - 42.Ne2! This keeps out the Black rook from reaching the back rank. Oddly enough the f5 square is bad.
Image 4 - 77.Rxg2 with a resignation to follow in one move!