Arjun Prevails At The Final Turn, Nakamura Dominates
GM Arjun Erigaisi prevailed over GM Jan-Krzysztof Duda with a combined score of 12-10, striking in the crucial final four games of the 1+1 bullet segment in the first match of the first day of the 2024 Speed Chess Championship. In the other match, GM Hikaru Nakamura dominated against GM Jose Martinez, winning with a final score of 14-8.
The next two Round of 16 matches will be on Friday, July 26. GM Magnus Carlsen vs. GM Tuan Minh Le begins at 10 a.m. ET / 16:00 CEST / 7:30 p.m. IST and GM Ian Nepomniachtchi vs. GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov begins at 1:30 p.m. ET / 19:30 CEST / 11:00 p.m. IST.
2024 Speed Chess Championship Bracket
Jan-Krzysztof Duda 10-12 Arjun Erigaisi
The match started with Arjun considered the favorite, although Duda was more impressive from the get-go by creating many promising positions. But it was the clock that proved to be his nemesis in the earlier part of the match. Duda seemed to be getting frustrated with not being able to convert many favorable positions, even ending up occasionally losing on time or blundering in superior positions.
Watching the match live, it also looked like Duda was the one who missed more opportunities, judging by the number of times he was seen to be shaking his head. In comparison, Arjun looked composed, most of the time.
But, to his credit, it was a match of comebacks for Arjun. Duda was in the lead at the end of the fourth, seventh, ninth, 11th, 13th, 16th, and 18th games. Not only did Arjun pull back no less than seven times to level the match, he won the crucial 20th and 22nd games to finally win the match by a two-point margin.
Blitz 5+1: Duda 4-3 Arjun
The very first game of the day was a clear indicator of the excitement generated by the match.
The third game was the best in terms of the sharpness of the battle between these two fantastic players, annotated as the Game of the Day by GM Rafael Leitao.
After another win in the fourth game, Duda shot into the lead, only to be met with disaster in the very next game.
The seventh and final game was a blitz masterpiece by Duda, who clinically outplayed his opponent to score a deserved win.
Blitz 3+1: Duda 3.5-4.5 Arjun
After Arjun's smooth win in the eighth game, Duda scored a quick miniature win in the ninth game, thanks to an early blunder from Arjun.
This was the point when both the players came into their element, trading many admirable victories, with the following game being a controlled show by Duda.
Arjun too showed his creative mettle, creating an admirable attack on the black king in the 14th game, and it was a real fight by both the players, with Arjun finally prevailing.
By this point, the match became so exciting that it is virtually impossible to describe in detail the happenings in every game. When the dust settled, Arjun had leveled the match at 7.5-7.5, thanks to Duda missing a win in an instructive bishop ending in the 15th game.
Bullet 1+1: Duda 2.5-4.5 Arjun
Thus, the stage was set for an exciting bullet segment. Once again, the contestants showed their fighting spirit by trading alternate victories between the 16th to 19th games, with Black winning all the games in this stretch.
When the 22nd and final game started, the score was 11-10 in favor of Arjun. The drama of the final game finally sealed the match in Arjun's favor.
Speaking after the games, Arjun acknowledged that it was a very close match. He cited the beginning of the match in the 5+1 segment as the exact critical moment when Duda messed up his chances. "I thought I would be the favorite in Bullet!" revealing his confidence in the final phase of the match.
Hikaru Nakamura 14-8 Jose Martinez
Nakamura was obviously considered the favorite to win the match, especially after looking at a drastic piece of statistics.
He's the 5 time champ for a reason 🥶 #SpeedChess pic.twitter.com/h3VZN5w9W4
— Chess.com (@chesscom) July 25, 2024
At the start of the match, the commentators judged Martinez's best chances to lie in the quicker time controls of 3+1 and 1+1, and Nakamura to dominate the initial 5+1 segment. But it all worked out much more in favor of Nakamura.
Blitz 5+1: Nakamura 5.5-2.5 Martinez
Nakamura scored clinical wins in the first, third, and fifth games, where he characteristically ground down Martinez in long drawn-out endgames. The fifth game was the best example of his typical style.
Though he lost the sixth game due to overextending, he still dominated this segment, almost demoralizing his opponent with the match score.
Blitz 3+1: Nakamura 5.5-3.5 Martinez
The very first game of the segment saw Martinez build up a huge advantage, only to be unable to convert with decisive moves. The game showed a mild psychological weakness from the Peruvian Grandmaster, as he unexpectedly repeated the moves in a position where his opponent would have definitely continued if the colors were reversed.
The 11th game was the best example of Nakamura's style, as he outplayed his opponent with quick thinking and quick hands in a completely equal position.
Blitz 1+1: Nakamura 3-2 Martinez
The bullet segment was when Martinez probably had his best chances, but Nakamura set the tone of the match with a brisk victory in the very first game, though it was a topsy-turvy win.
By now, Nakamura's lead was unassailable, and he went on to win the match smoothly. You can listen to his video recap about the match below.
You can watch the event on Chess.com/TV. You can also enjoy the show on our Twitch channel and catch all our live broadcasts on YouTube.com/Chess. Games from the event can be viewed on our events page.
The live broadcasts were hosted by GMs Anish Giri, Daniel Naroditsky, and IM Levy Rozman.
The Speed Chess Championship is Chess.com's most important speed chess event. Some of the biggest names in chess compete to determine the best speed chess player in the world. The main event started with qualifiers on June 27 and 28 and concludes with the first-ever Final on September 8, live in Paris. The games are played with time controls of 5+1, 3+1, and 1+1. The prize fund is $173,000.
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