Zurich has been the scene for the latest clash between the titans of chess. Over a mere four days in February, six elite grandmasters contested no fewer than three fast-time-limit all-play-all tournaments, with combined results leading to an overall victory for Hikaru Nakamura, fresh from his triumph in Gibraltar. Zurich was what might be termed a boutique competition, but action-packed nonetheless. Even an apparently unperturbed Sepp Blatter was observed in the VIP enclosure, perhaps following up the theories expounded in the book Football and Chess: Tactics Strategy Beauty (Hardinge Simpole), which identifies similarities between the games.
Nakamura-Aronian: Opening Blitz, Zurich 2016
18 Bxh6 Nakamura spots vulnerability in the black camp. If now 18 … gxh6 19 Bxd5 Qxd5 20 Nf6+ netting the black queen. Aronian of course sees through this elementary trap, but the fact that a vital defensive pawn has been ripped away from the fortifications around his king ultimately leaves him defenceless.
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