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Prague Chess Festival (Masters) (2020) A 10-player round robin, headed by Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Nikita Vitiugov, and Alireza Firouzja (replacing Wei Yi who was forced to cancel due to the coronavirus travel ban), the Masters section of the 2nd Prague International Chess Festival, a Cat. XIX event, took place between 2020 Feb 12-21, in hotel Don Giovanni, Prague. The players received 90 minutes for the first 40 moves, followed by 30 minutes for the rest of the game, with an increment of 30 seconds per move, starting from move one. No draw offers were allowed before move 30. In case of a tie for first place, there was to be a playoff (2 games of 5 3 blitz + Armageddon if necessary) between the top two players, as determined by: 1. Mutual result(s) 2. SB 3. More number of games with Black 4. Drawing of lots. The tiebreaks were played between Firouzja and Vidit. Firouzja won the blitz games 2-0, thereby clinching his first supertournament victory: Prague Chess Festival (Masters) (Tiebreaks) (2020) See also: Prague Chess Festival (Challengers) (2020) Previous: Prague Chess Festival (Masters) (2019) Official site: http://praguechessfestival.com/  page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 45  Game   Result Moves Year Event/Locale Opening 1. Vitiugov vs D Anton Guijarro 1-0 44 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) B31 Sicilian, Rossolimo Variation 2. A Firouzja vs M Ragger   ½-½ 44 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) C78 Ruy Lopez 3. N Grandelius vs Harikrishna   ½-½ 36 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) B47 Sicilian, Taimanov (Bastrikov) Variation 4. Navara vs J K Duda 0-1 36 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) B90 Sicilian, Najdorf 5. V S Gujrathi vs S Shankland 1-0 32 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) E46 Nimzo-Indian 6. Harikrishna vs J K Duda   ½-½ 31 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) E00 Queen's Pawn Game 7. D Anton Guijarro vs V S Gujrathi   ½-½ 49 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) D38 Queen's Gambit Declined, Ragozin Variation 8. N Grandelius vs A Firouzja ½-½ 80 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) C67 Ruy Lopez 9. S Shankland vs Navara   ½-½ 38 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) E06 Catalan, Closed, 5.Nf3 10. M Ragger vs Vitiugov   ½-½ 36 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) C11 French 11. V S Gujrathi vs M Ragger 1-0 46 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) D85 Grunfeld 12. Vitiugov vs N Grandelius   ½-½ 39 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) B07 Pirc 13. J K Duda vs S Shankland ½-½ 42 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) B90 Sicilian, Najdorf 14. Navara vs D Anton Guijarro 0-1 41 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) D35 Queen's Gambit Declined 15. A Firouzja vs Harikrishna 1-0 40 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) C84 Ruy Lopez, Closed 16. M Ragger vs Navara   ½-½ 60 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) C50 Giuoco Piano 17. Harikrishna vs S Shankland   ½-½ 48 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) B90 Sicilian, Najdorf 18. A Firouzja vs Vitiugov ½-½ 45 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) C78 Ruy Lopez 19. D Anton Guijarro vs J K Duda   ½-½ 30 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) A15 English 20. N Grandelius vs V S Gujrathi   ½-½ 35 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) C65 Ruy Lopez, Berlin Defense 21. V S Gujrathi vs A Firouzja 1-0 24 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) D13 Queen's Gambit Declined Slav, Exchange Variation 22. J K Duda vs M Ragger   ½-½ 30 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) C68 Ruy Lopez, Exchange 23. Vitiugov vs Harikrishna   ½-½ 59 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) D02 Queen's Pawn Game 24. Navara vs N Grandelius 1-0 55 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) A33 English, Symmetrical 25. S Shankland vs D Anton Guijarro   ½-½ 48 2020 Prague Chess Festival (Masters) A45 Queen's Pawn Game  page 1 of 2; games 1-25 of 45    REFINE SEARCH:   White wins (1-0) | Black wins (0-1) | Draws (1/2-1/2)   < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing> Feb-21-20    wordfunph: wait til Ali Firo flexes his muscles against the big boys.. time will come. Feb-21-20    chancho: <Besides, no 16 year old is going to win with those players in a field> Exactly. He's a promising young player, but not yet a serious contender, that's still years away. <Kasparov won Banja Luka but it was nowhere near that potential field you listed> Former World Champion Petrosian, Ulf Andersson, Andras Adorjan, and Jan Smejkal were elite players and the rest of that field as far as I'm concerned are probably comparable to players like Ragger, Shankland, and Grandelius. Feb-21-20    fisayo123: < and the rest of that field as far as I'm concerned are probably comparable to players like Ragger, Shankland, and Grandelius.> Where they though? http://chessmetrics.com/cm/CM2/Sing... Most of the field are a bunch of decent GM's which will just be 2500's/low 2600's of today if I'm being generous. Feb-21-20    chancho: That's true. Technique has improved immensely and accessibility to computer software has helped many players to improve on their technique. Even the patzer's of today would give the patzer's of yesteryear a run for their money. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 Feb-21-20    torrefan: Alireza won this Feb-21-20    Pedro Fernandez: Hi my great <Sokrates>. I apologize as I forgot reply you about Duda-Firouzja game. Your claiming is absolutely correct. Even after 4...e6, click for larger view the precise move was 5.d4. So white playing 5.b3?! allowed black to play that move which payed my attention: 5...Bd6!?. If White had played 5.d4, Black's move 5...Bd6!? would not have been so effective since White could play, for instance, 6.Ne5!? With good game. click for larger view Moreover, after 5...Bd6, white had a couple of more opportunities to play 'd4' including the yours one 7.d4 click for larger view with a good game for white. Greetings my friend! Feb-21-20    fisayo123: <Pedro Fernandez> White's idea not playing 5. d4 is very deliberate. He doesn't want to play a Semi-Slav. These ideas like 5. b3 are very common in modern chess. The real issue was 8. Be2?! which Duda had already played before in a blitz game and he probably didn't look at it again after that. Also 5...Bd6 is just a standard move after 5. d4. I don't know about the immediate 6. Ne5!? Feb-21-20    jith1207: I think the Chess world should listen to <Pedro> and set up a match between Firouzja and Carlsen. Feb-22-20    morfishine: Talk about a viciously contested tournament; 5 points was the max scored and 5 players reached that total Feb-22-20    LameJokes: Congrats Firouzja for winning the event at young age. It was good event with many interesting games. The combative mood of participants made this worth a watch. Gujrathi blew up a winning position against Navara with 33.b3. He could keep his rooks on seventh rank in menacing position. I don’t think, the calculation was difficult for a GM to handle. Hard luck Vidit. Feb-22-20    Pedro Fernandez: <Note to <fisayo123>> <<Pedro Fernandez> White's idea not playing 5. d4 is very deliberate. He doesn't want to play a Semi-Slav. These ideas like 5. b3 are very common in modern chess. The real issue was 8. Be2?! which Duda had already played before in a blitz game and he probably didn't look at it again after that. Also 5...Bd6 is just a standard move after 5. d4. I don't know about the immediate 6. Ne5!?> Hey <fisayo>, As <Sokrates> said, after 6...0-0 click for larger view 7.Qc2 was inapropriate, it was necessary 7.d4 and, of course, your comment about 8.Be2?!, after 7...e5!, click for larger view threatening 8...e4, is also totally correct! Paradogically SF does mention 8.Be2 (if your computer is fast and wait a few minutes) as a playable move (?). The idea is to clear 'd2' square for the f3-knight, which is possible by playing 8.d4 or 8.d3 as well. There is also a third playable alternative which is 8.cxd5!? click for larger view 8...cxd5 (8...e4?? 1-0) 9.Nb5 Nc6 10.Nxd6 Qxd6, etc., click for larger view and the game is fine for both sides. Sometimes silicone is indigestible! Greetings my great friend! Feb-23-20    Sokrates: <morfishine: Talk about a viciously contested tournament; 5 points was the max scored and 5 players reached that total> Yes, 5 players were equal winners but as you have noticed, there was one who was more equal than the others. :-) Feb-23-20    MissScarlett: I know tie-break methods date back to the 19th century, but isn't it only in the last couple of decades that there's been a push to determine separate placings? It used to be common to see <=1st> etc. I'm sure Shankland would rather that than be sole <5th>. Feb-23-20    MissScarlett: <Talk about a viciously contested tournament; 5 points was the max scored and 5 players reached that total> By that logic, if every game in the tournament was drawn, so everyone finished equal first, it would have been an absolute bloodbath. Feb-23-20    Kurakotsaba: We just witnessed an EPIC COLLAPSE by Mr. Gujarathi. Oh boy, talking about STEEL OF NERVES...and where else you can draw strength from and dig yourself out of that funk? TATA STEEL of India, Mr Gujathi...Tata Steel forged. Feb-23-20    jith1207: <tie-break methods date back to the 19th century, but isn't it only in the last couple of decades that there's been a push to determine separate placings? It used to be common to see <=1st>> Did they just share top prize money earlier in case of shared first? Do the players not want to share now, which might dilute the top cash? Bear with me, I'm trying to see if there's an angle of reasoning along the prize money. Feb-23-20    jith1207: I just realize Vidit finished second last year as well in Prague, losing by 0.5 point. But he defeated Navara in last round to get there. This year, he lost to Navara to collapse, when a draw would have been suffice to win it all. Feb-23-20    jith1207: Last year as well, 4 players finished with 5 points at second place. But there was a sole first place finish, and 5.5 points was just enough to win it all then too. Feb-23-20    beatgiant: <jith1207> Yes, they just shared top prize money earlier in case of shared first. I think the issue is that chess has become more of a big-money thing, and organizers are trying to figure out how to make it more exciting for spectators and thus justify the sponsorship. That is also the reason for the greater prominence of speed chess, in my opinion. Feb-23-20    Sokrates: <beatgiant> <...That is also the reason for the greater prominence of speed chess, in my opinion.> Also in mine. The organisers and sponsors desperately try to convey formats that lead to exciting, entertaining games. Why should they waste time and money on over-cautious GM's who want to maintain their ratings, get a starting fee and harvest decent price money to play one draw after the other? It should wonder no one that sponsors will be still more reluctant to invest their good money in projects of little value to spectators and the public. As said many times before: pro chess at high levels is in a field of tough competition with other needing games and sports. What was good enough in the 20th century may not suffice in 2020. If classical chess leads to tournaments with 80 % draw rates, it is classical chess that has to renew itself. Fortunately, we still have classical tournaments of high entertaining value, but each tournament with "drawmasters" decreases the attractivity of the game towards sponsors and organisers. The logic is terrifyingly simple. Feb-23-20    jith1207: Thanks, <beatgiant> and <Sokrates>. One main difference I see in getting sponsorship for other sports and Chess is that, when strong teams or players compete against each other in other sports, the game is expected to be played competitive and entertaining for spectators, which gives sponsors the desire to fund. It's true even in local high school games, if the rivalry is historically great or some players are famous statewide or nationwide. But, in Chess, when the strongest players meet, even a competitive game is only appealing to educated audience. If it's a dull game without anyone taking risks which it seems to be for the majority of time, the product is not understandably attractive to sponsors. I don't think Chess could really have a great revolution in fanbase. It's going to be the same, there will be enough supporters who would watch elite and Open tournaments and the best we could do is to make online streaming more accessible to audience via YouTube or other services, where they could try to get advertisement revenue throughout the stream. Feb-25-20    MordimerChess: Just in case if someone is interested of Prague Festival Masters commentary: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?li... Only 6 videos because I was disrupted by Cairns Cup :D I have no idea how I managed to record 22 videos of Tata Steel tournament, lol Feb-25-20    Sokrates: <jith1207> And in return thanks to you for your thoughtful musings. The development of chess in the 21st century is very very difficult to predict. But it is a fact that much has changed already - the quicker formats have indisputably gained grounds, but it's also true that the classical format still is recognized as THE benchmark. Things evolve rapidly at this day and age. As Hannes Wader once sang: "Denn nichts bleibt wie es war" (Cause nothing remains what it was). Feb-25-20    moronovich: <Things evolve rapidly at this day and age. As Hannes Wader once sang: "Denn nichts bleibt wie es war" (Cause nothing remains what it was).> So we shall go to the Museum of Art,with an empty canvas and a titel that says :"Ceci,cést une Pibe"...…;) Feb-26-20    jith1207: If I were the museum director, I'd give an empty money case back in return, saying < "Denn nichts bleibt wie es war" (Cause nothing remains what it was).> Jump to page #    (enter # from 1 to 4) search thread:    < Earlier Kibitzing  · PAGE 4 OF 4 ·  Later Kibitzing> NOTE: You need to pick a username and password to post a reply. Getting your account takes less than a minute, is totally anonymous, and 100% free—plus, it entitles you to features otherwise unavailable. Pick your username now and join the chessgames community! If you already have an account, you should login now. 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