After the anti-climactic semifinals, it was fortunate for us as chess fans that we got to enjoy a dramatic final match between Anish Giri and Ian Nepomniachtchi. As we already saw in the preceding post, they split their first mini-match 2-2, after four draws, and as it turned out...they split the second day's match 2-2 as well - but not with four draws.
In game 1, Nepomniachtchi had White, and once against it was a Najdorf with 6.Bg5 e6 7.f4 Qb6. This time, however, Nepo prevented the capture on b2 with 8.Nb3. This line can be a little dry, but not this time. The play was sharp and tactical, and the result was a draw that was well-played by both sides.
Giri also played well in game 2, but it was a bad outing for his opponent. White's opening play, whether the product of preparation or excellence at the board, gave him a significant advantage. Nepomniachtchi hung in there, in a difficult position, but his 18th move was a major error, leaving him a pawn down with a lousy position. Giri converted his advantage without much trouble.
Game 3 was another Averted Poisoned Pawn, to propose a name for the 8.Nb3 line, and once again the players managed to sharpen what can be a relatively quiet line. It was Giri who had some chances for more than a draw, but Nepomniachtchi eventually escaped.
Despite that escape, he was still in a very difficult situation, needing to win game 4 with Black to split the second match, maintain a tie in the overall match, and force a blitz playoff. And this he did, though early on his position in a Rossolimo was precarious. Giri played his worst game of the match, slipping from a promising and advantageous position to one that was equal, then a bit worse, and then lost. One slip by Nepo gave Giri a single chance to save the game, but he missed it, after which Nepo won confidently and convincingly.
Nepomniachtchi had Black in the first blitz game, but it looked like this would prove as little an obstacle as it did in the previous game. An unsound piece sac by Giri left Nepo with an objectively winning advantage, and he retained this advantage for eight moves or so. Alas, when consolidation was not too far away, he blundered, losing his extra material (and then some) while retaining his other disadvantages. He was forced to resign soon afterwards, and once again faced a must-win situation.
The good news was that he could use the white pieces this time, but he obtained nothing from the opening. More importantly, he blundered on move 16, leaving himself the option of sacrificing the exchange (without any compensation) or maintaining material equality at the cost of a strategically hopeless position. He chose the latter option, after which not even the short time control allowed him to scrape up even a whiff of counterplay. Giri was able to coast in with a comfortable win, giving him the game, the match, and the championship.
This was not the only match, but it was the only one with any drama. In the match for third place, Magnus Carlsen had already won the first day's mini-match against Wesley So (reported in the previous post), and started this day with a win in the first game. Draws in the next two games clinched at least a tie in the second mini-match, and since So could only save the overall match by winning the second mini-match, their contest ended at that point.
Congrats to the winner and all the players on the metaphorical medal platform! Here are the games from the final day of play, most of them with my comments. Tournament website here.