1st FIDE Grand Prix 2022 - Semifinals - Day 1

Levon Aronian today confirmed his status of grace, defeating Leinier Dominguez in 41 moves, playing brilliantly.
Levon looks like he's the favorite at this point in the competition.

Hikaru Nakamura won a highly complex game against Richard Rapport.
According to the engines, the rook+pawns ending seemed won for the American, but it took a lot of effort to Hikaru.
During the post-game interview, Nakamura said,

"It's very tricky. I can even lose the position because black has two dangerous pawns."

It's clear that human play is not engine play. The stress, the emotions, the human factor are the elements that make this game the best and most enjoyable ever.
Richard Rapport, visibly upset but always classy and calm, answered the interviewer's typical question. "what went wrong?" with a laconic

"You tell me, I don't know."

Tomorrow, Sunday, February the 13th, the second game of the semifinals. Play starts at 9 AM EST - 15:00 Berlin (CET) - 14:00 UTC.