St. Louis Rapid & Blitz, Day 5 (The End)
Firouzja wins the tournament and now leads the Grand Chess Tour
Alireza Firouzja had played well all event, so it’s not surprising that he finished the job on the final day. He clinched tournament victory with two rounds to spare, and finished three points ahead of runner-up Wesley So. There were some comebacks on the day, but in the end no one managed to pose a real challenge to Firouzja, who has had a great year since his unsuccessful performance in the Candidates. Not only did Firouzja win the tournament, but he also leads in the overall Grand Chess Tour standings, leapfrogging Fabiano Caruana into first place. Still, Caruana is close enough that he might yet win the Tour if he wins the Sinquefield Cup, also in St. Louis and starting on Monday.
In addition to Firouzja’s fine play, mention should be made of several other players. Hikaru Nakamura made a charge at the start of the day, winning his first three games and scoring 4-1 after a couple of draws. Unfortunately for his run towards the top, he then lost his next two games to lose all chance of winning the event. Nevertheless, he won his last two games to finish the tournament in clear third.
Also deserving mention: Praggnanandhaa Rameshbabu. The first four days were terrible, but today it was as if he had been shot out of a cannon. Like Nakamura, he won his first three games, and after a loss to Firouzja he scored 2.5 points from his next three games. Unfortunately, he lost his last two games, but even so his 5.5/9 was one of the best scores on the day. (And even had he won both games, he still would have finished in clear last.)
In the opposite direction, there was Ian Nepomniachtchi, who tilted like the Titanic. After drawing his first game he lost six in a row, and it could very easily have been seven in a row.
All in all, it was an interesting tournament, and if you didn’t watch or replay the blitz I’d recommend doing so - both for its entertainment value and to trawl for opening ideas. As for instructional value, we’ll get that in spades come Monday, when the troupe starts the classical Sinquefield Cup.
Final Standings:
(1) Firouzja 23 (of 36)
(2) So 20
(3) Nakamura 19.5
(4)-(5) Aronian, Vachier-Lagrave 19
(6)-(7) Caruana, Nepomniachtchi 18
(8) Abdusattorov 16
(9) Dominguez 15.5
(10) Praggnanandhaa 12