1Aggressive start from Samadov, not looking to slow down in a must-win situation!
10Samadov declines the "poisoned pawn"-variation, not looking to grab material and end up in a defensive position.
12Samadov delays castling and instead goes for an immediate attack. Samadov will have to be careful not to end up in a significantly worse position.
15Grischuk goes for a counterattack on the kingside, which is why Samadov has delayed castling to that side of the board. By keeping his king in the center, he's more safe against the attack and can focus on making progress on the queenside.
Play remains incredibly sharp, and a single misstep from either side could cost them the game. Samadov has made the most progress in his attack, but due to not castling early, he will essentially be playing with one rook less.
A very tense situation!
22While tempting, taking this knight allows Grischuk to create significant weaknesses against Samadov's kingside! He will now start his counterattack on that side of the board.
Samadov only has one move to keep the game in balance!
27Samadov finds it! Trading knights would allow Grischuk's bishop into the game, giving him a winning position!
Grischuk loses a piece, and Samadov is now completely winning!!
Samadov decides to go into a very sharp game with the black pieces, and his decision pays off! He manages to defeat much higher-rated Grischuk, and the Rookies win this round. A very impressive game by Samadov, who managed to keep Grischuk's attack at bay while maintaining pressure against Grischuk's king.
Looks like we're going to tiebreakers!
Young Samadov will have to show his best game this round, or the Rookies are out! Let's see if the team of youngsters can make a spectacular comeback.