FIDE World Rapid, Day 2: Drama in Doha as Carlsen stumbles

FIDE World Rapid , Day 2

After two days of FIDE World Rapid in Doha, Vladislav Artemiev and Hans Niemann share the lead in the Open on 7.5/9. In the Women’s Rapid, Zhu Jiner maintained her position at the top, but is joined by defending champion Humpy Koneru, with both ending the day on 6.5/8.

In the Open event, Magnus Carlsen – who had 4.5/5 on day one – was put on the back foot on day two, starting with a draw and a defeat. Instead, it was Vladislav Artemiev (who defeated Carlsen) and Hans Niemann who shone, ending the day as joint leaders. They are chased by four players half a point behind: Carlsen, Sarana, Erdogmus and Abdusattorov.

Zhu Jiner continued strongly in the Women’s Rapid and is now level with Humpy Koneru, who scored 3.5 points in four games. Both are on 6.5/8. They are trailed by as many as ten players on 6/8.

The Open Rapid

The standout players of the day in the Open were Vladislav Artemiev and Hans Niemann.

One of the co-leaders on day one, Artemiev was in great form on day two. He opened with a victory as Black against India’s Arjun Erigaisi, coming back from a lost position and playing much of the game on increment. After Round 6 he became the sole leader of the tournament, with a half-point advantage.

In Round 7, Artemiev defeated Carlsen in a game where the world’s top-rated player made a grave mistake on move 15, which cost him dearly.  This win put Artemiev on 6.5 points, a full point ahead of the field.

Artemiev concluded the day with two calm draws with Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alexey Sarana.

“I am pleased with my performance, and everything is feeling good,” Artemiev told FIDE in a brief comment.

Artemiev is joined at the top by Hans Niemann, who scored 3.5/4, conceding only a draw to compatriot Ray Robson. 

After a 4.5/5 on day one, Carlsen’s performance on day two slipped.

In the first game of the day, in round six, he played the Sicilian against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave. Things didn’t go that well for Carlsen, who found himself with tripled pawns on the e-file and spent more time looking for the moves. After transitioning to a rook endgame where White had a 4-3 pawn advantage, it was clear that the best outcome for Carlsen was a draw. After testing Carlsen for a few moves, MVL agreed to split a point.

Then came a huge upset for Carlsen in round seven. After surrendering on move 30, the Norwegian stormed out of the playing hall, visibly unhappy.

Carlsen bounced back in Round 8, with a comfortable victory against Armenian GM Shant Sargsyan in the Italian Game. In Round 9, he faced US GM Ray Robson (who had held Hans Niemann to a draw in Round 7). Carlsen was better on time and managed to secure an extra pawn in the center. Robson resisted for a while, often having less than 10 seconds on his clock, but eventually capitulated in a hopeless position.

With two straight victories, Carlsen joined the group of four players on seven points. It includes Abdusattorov, Sarana, and  2446-rated prodigy from Türkiye Yagiz Kaan Erdogmus. The 14-year-old teenager netted 3.5/4 today, defeating the likes of Joren Van Foreest and Nihal Sarin in the last two rounds.

World Champion in classical chess, Gukesh D, had an uneven performance on day two. Starting with two draws, in Round 8 he prevailed over Spain’s David Anton in a topsy-turvy game. However, in the following round he was completely dismantled by Nodirbek Abdusattorov in the King’s Indian Attack. With this defeat, Gukesh finished on 6.5 points.