The stakes are high in Riga: The top two finishers from the Swiss event - and a parallel women’s competition - earn a place in the 2022 Candidates’ Tournament for a shot at a world title match. ![]() f4!, and Black resigns as White will win on the queenside lines like 34…Ke4 35. Nb3! and the Black bishop has no good way back to the long diagonal to stop the a-pawn e.g. White’s edge is just a pawn, but Caruana’s pressure eventually forces a queen trade and the White knight continues to embarrass Howell’s ill-fated bishop: 28. Qxc6, and, in one last nice touch, 25…Bxd4? now would fail to 26. Rxc6! (not a hard combination for a top grandmaster to spot, but it was White’s superior positional play that led to the tactical double attack) Rxc6 (Qf6 24. ![]() Rxc6 and the Black d-pawn must fall, too) 22. Re1 (Rxc6? dxe5 solves all of Black’s problems) Rfe8 (c5 21. In true Capablanca fashion, White’s positional edge leads to a petite combination that wins a critical pawn: 20. a4!, the White threat of a4-a5 forces Black to imprison his own bishop on b6, a sidelining that Caruana skillfully exploits for the rest of the game.
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