Never Meet Your Heroes: Naroditsky & Hess Beat Their Commentary Inspirations

GMs Daniel Naroditsky and Robert Hess knocked out the commentators who inspire them, GMs Peter Svidler and Jan Gustafsson, as they advanced to the Semifinals of the 2024 Team Chess Battle.

Gustafsson and Svidler brought their trash-talk A-games while Hess and Naroditsky were hesitant to respond in kind. It was a different story on the chessboard, though, where the younger duo defeated their opponents in a ruthless armageddon finish. 

The last quarterfinal match—GMs Jorden van Foreest and Eric Hansen vs. GM Hikaru Nakamura and IM Levy Rozman—will be played on Tuesday, February 27, at 2:00 p.m. EST / 20:00 CET / 22:30 IST.

Pre-Match Banter: Commentators Step Into The Players' Chairs

When asked if he had any trash talk to open with, Naroditsky instead shared a sincere reflection:

It’s fun to be in the player's chair. It’s a little anxiety-inducing. I’m so used to being in the commentator’s chair. I’m so used to watching and having fun without all the stress, and now the tables turn.

It was Gustafsson who took the first swing: "I do believe we shall sweep them 2-0. Armageddon is too stressful. We're old people, we need to get this done quickly."

I do believe we shall sweep them 2-0.

―Jan Gustafsson

Jan's prediction: "I do believe we shall sweep them 2-0. Armageddon is too stressful. We're old people, we need to get this done quickly."#TeamChess pic.twitter.com/yrfJsMsww1

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 26, 2024

Yet, Hess didn't take the bait: "I’m with him. That sounds like I can go back to my usual job of commentary, so if they win two-nothing, I won't be too hurt about it."

Later, Hess explained why his banter was so amenable: “It felt weird to have to trash talk Peter and Jan. I like both of them."

Naroditsky agreed: “I love both of them. They’re my inspirations when it comes to commentary. They're who I aspire to be."

They’re my inspirations when it comes to commentary.

―Daniel Naroditsky

Svidler & Gustafsson 1-2 Naroditsky & Hess

Naroditsky and Hess opted for an uncommon Sicilian, for which Gustafsson had a line in which he was "booked up―not that booked up." Svidler supported his teammate's choice: "But they will be upset about it. There's value in that."

But they will be upset about it. There's value in that.

―Peter Svidler

This loosely aligns with Gustafsson's pre-match strategy: “I’ll make the first 12 moves and then I’ll just execute whatever Peter tells me to play. I won’t think for a single second."

The game seemed to be headed for positional territory when Naroditsky discovered 17...Nd4!, enlivening the game. 

Hess and Naroditsky followed up with dynamic play across the board while their opponents defended calmly. Svidler expressed a wish for the match: "To show the viewers, it's not all swashbuckling blunder chess." Little did he know, the game would ultimately be defined by an unnoticed blunder. 

Can you find the tactical idea that all the players overlooked?

White to move.

When the tactics died down, Hess and Naroditsky faced a repetition draw offer. They thought through their options thoroughly before accepting the peaceful result.

Gustafsson shared his insight into his opponents' careful deliberation: "I didn't think about the position at all, but it was fairly obvious that they were just angling for another minute of screentime."

It was fairly obvious that they were just angling for another minute of screentime.

―Jan Gustafsson

In game two, Gustafsson hoped to taunt Naroditsky with his choice of opening: "I know that Danya's the world's leading expert on the Belgrade Gambit, so I felt like a reverse Belgrade was the only way to play."

Svidler did gain his wish of "not swashbuckling chess" in this duel as the players traded into an ending by move 14. Despite the tame beginnings, the players did eventually manage to imbue some energy into the position. Gustafsson and Svidler started making headway on the kingside, requiring Hess and Naroditsky to navigate their way through the complications with dynamic defense.

The tied score meant the players would engage in the first Team Chess Battle armageddon. Svidler and Gustafsson won the bidding war with 4:59 for the black pieces.

Naroditsky suggested the Glek Variation, which was inspired by a friend: "I gotta shout out my friend, Dominique... He's a local Charlotte master. He pointed me to the Glek in the first place."

The American twosome seized the initative when they spotted the striking 7. Nxe5!

When Hess and Naroditsky gained the bishop pair on an open board, their opponents' undeveloped position soon became indefensible. As the game raged on, listening to the two teams was like peaking into alternate universes. Svidler and Gustafsson discussed inevitable resignation while Naroditsky and Hess continued to rapidly calculate webs of variations.

In the final moments, Hess and Naroditsky had their choice of winning lines. Yet, instead of savoring their victory-in-the-making, they engaged in a fierce debate over which to choose.

Robert and Danya argue over which winning variation to play as they clinch the match!#TeamChess pic.twitter.com/P48GdjWS9I

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 26, 2024

Their hard-won armageddon victory is our Game of the Day. Enjoy commentary by GM Rafael Leitao below.

The loss inspired Svidler to take his biggest swing of the match: "In what way were they brave? I mean, they played exceedingly well, but in what way was that brave? I take umbrage at that."

Gustafsson backed his teammate up: “I like it. We’ll praise their chess but we will continue questioning their character!"

We’ll praise their chess, but we will continue questioning their character!

―Jan Gustafsson

Svidler and Gustafsson take home $2,000 as a team. Naroditsky and Hess await the winner of the fourth and final quarterfinals match. In the semfinals, they will face either Van Foreest and Hansen or Nakamura and Rozman. 

Team Chess Battle is an event where two-player teams can freely communicate while facing other teams in a series of rapid chess games. Eight teams of two players each compete in a single-elimination bracket. Matches consist of two games (the Final is a four-game match) with a 10+10 time control. The event starts on February 21 and features a $25,000 prize fund.

Previous coverage:

• • Team Wesley So & Alice Lee Kill With Kindness In Quarterfinals
  • Team C-Squared Neutralizes Novelty From Bickering Giri & Rensch
  • Team Chess Battle: The Star-Studded New 2v2 Tournament With Nakamura, Giri, GothamChess, And… Jan Gustafsson