Dominguez-Carlsen… Dragon War!
Magnus Carlsen (Norway) vs. Lenier Dominguez (Cuba)
Photo © https://www.bielchessfestival.ch/
Cuban GM Lenier Dominguez recently eclipsed the 2700-barrier and is now on the verge of winning the Biel GM tournament. His 9th round game with Magnus Carlsen was a contribution to theory as the two gladiators faced off in a “Fire on Board” game. The game started as an Accelerated and then ventured into the main line Dragon. Dominguez developed a very strong attack, but the Norweigan held.
Only needing a draw with Etienne Bacrot to clinch Biel, it appears that Lenier Dominguez has lost his last round game and has to go to tiebreaks.
Etienne Bacrot (France) vs. Lenier Dominguez (Cuba)
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Evgeny Alekseev of Russia has won the 41st Biel Festival defeating Cuba’s Lenier Dominguez in tiebreak blitz matches. This is a disappointing result considering the tournament the Cuban champion had. His last round loss to a surging Etienne Bacrot set the stage for the tiebreaks. The two 15-minute games were drawn as was the first five-minute game. The second game ended with Alekseev winning with mere second left on his clock.
Despite this setback, Dominguez will hopefully get more appearances in strong tournaments. Viva Cuba!