Nakamura and Aronian are the two FIDE Grand Prix 2022 finalists

Game 2 of the FIDE Grand Prix 2022 semifinals ended with Nakamura and Aronian both achieving a 1.5-0.5 score against Rapport and Dominguez respectively and advancing to the finals.

Game 2 started with the pressure on Rapport and Dominguez who had to win in order to have a chance to move to the Grand Prix finals. In both games though, the positions were fully equalised quickly and eventually ended in a draw.

Dominguez-Aronian

In the Dominguez-Aronian game, the hopes were high for Dominguez, who is known for his good performances as white. The Cuban-American GM initiated the Italian game and after a series of exchanges, everything looked peaceful and drawish.

In move 31 the two GMs agreed to a draw with Dominguez admitting at the Press Conference that the position was nowhere near a must-win situation. After his draw and therefore his advance to the FIDE Grand Prix 2022 finals with a 1.5-0.5 score, Aronian talked to WGM Dina Belenkaya about his favourite chess books, the Super Bowl, music, and his other passions besides chess!

Rapport-Nakamura

The Rapport-Nakamura game started with the Reti Opening and until move 11…b6, Rapport had the same position as the one in Bundesliga in 2019 against Coenen. Nakamura didn’t seem to struggle at all with the black pieces, and at one point he was also better.

After move 30 the American GM confidently asked for a draw and Rapport accepted it, acknowledging that he had no winning chances in that position. With this successful result, Nakamura moves to the finals against Aronian.

Join our live stream with GM Evgenij Miroshnichenko and WIM Jesse February and watch the games.