Jan-Krzysztof Duda won against Dutchman Anish Giri 2.5:1.5 in the quarter-finals of the FTX Road to Miami, an online rapid chess tournament. The Polish grandmaster checks into the top four of the prestigious Champions Chess Tour event for the third time in his career.
Thursday’s match between Jan-Krzysztof Duda and the Dutchman began with a quick draw after 21 moves. In the second game, the grandmaster from Wieliczka playing in white came very close to winning with two more pawns on the chessboard. One inaccurate 59th move with a pawn on b4 made his rival find his way to a draw and he managed to defend.
In the third game Duda did not break down by the “slip-up” from the previous one and it was him, despite the worsening of the situation for him in the initial phase, who not only tied but won the game with black. Earlier, his rival had decided not to repeat his moves, refusing to accept a split point. As a result, the Pole, playing with “computer accuracy” in the end, seized the initiative and won. The fourth game ended with a point split, marking a match victory for the best Polish chess player.
Duda in the semi-finals
Thus, the Pole advanced to the top four for the third time in his Champions Chess Tour appearances. In March, in this year’s second tournament, he lost in the final after extra time to world champion Magnus Carlsen of Norway, and in April he triumphed in the third event, the Oslo Esports Cup.
Jan-Krzysztof Duda will face Levon Aronian of the USA in the semi-finals of the tournament. In the other pair, Chinese Yi Wei, who unexpectedly defeated American Samuel Sevian, the leader after the group stage, and Hungarian Richar Rapport will fight for participation in the final.
The semi-finals will take place on Friday. The top two places in the tournament guarantee participation in the sixth tournament of the major-ranked series, the FTX Crypto Cup Stationary, which with eight grandmasters will be held at the Eden Roc Miami Beach Hotel in Florida from 15-21 August.
This year’s second edition of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour, a chess Champions League organised by Play Magnus Group, with prize money of $1.6 million, consists of nine events. The entire series will conclude on 20 November and will determine the best chess player of the season for the second time in an online competition.