This morning Naka sent this tweet.
Clearly he was in good spirits as he prepared to battle Cuban GM Lazaro Bruzon Batista in the round two playoff in the FIDE World Cup, currently taking place in Tbilisi, Georgia.
In the first game Hikaru got a nice enduring edge which he converted nicely although he did miss a shot in this position:
Here 21.Bxh6 is crushing.
In the second game the Cuban returned the favor by missing a shot of his own.
33.a5 creates threats which force concessions from Black due to the threat of cxb5 which would create a passed pawn. There is a lot to be learned by analyzing this position in depth.
However, after 33.Rf3 the game was level and Hikaru was able to hold rather easily.
This draw secured entry into the third round and a matchup with Russian Super GM Fedoseev.
Til Next Time,
Chris Wainscott