Magnus Carlsen eked out a draw with the black pieces in an Armageddon tiebreaker with Hikaru Nakamura in the seventh and deciding set to take the 2020 Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour title
The final set fight was close and intense. For a moment, it looked like Nakamura would indeed pull off a stunning victory over the world champion.
The two started the regulation by trading wins and draws to end up tied at 2-2.
Nakamura went on to win the first blitz tiebreak game and needed only a draw in the second to wrap the title up.
Carlsen, however, struck back ferociously to take the second game and bring the finale into a final Armageddon tiebreak, choosing the black pieces and the draw odds.
Carlsen managed to get the draw he needed and went on to pocket the $140,000 champion’s purse while Nakamura settled for the $80,000 runner-up kitty.
Nakamura, H (2736)-Carlsen, M (2863) [C65]
chess24.com (2.71) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 0-0 7.h3 Nd7 8.Nc4 a5 9.Be3 f6 10.0-0 b5 11.Ncd2 Bxe3 12.fxe3 a4 13.Nh4 c5 14.Nf5 Nb6 15.Qe2 Be6 16.Nf3 Qd7 17.N3h4 Rad8 18.Rfd1 Kh8 19.d4 cxd4 20.exd4 exd4 21.Rxd4 Qc6 22.Rad1 Qc5 23.Qf2 Rxd4 24.Nxd4 Bxa2 25.b3 Rd8 26.Nhf5 axb3 27.cxb3 Bxb3 28.Nxg7 Rxd4 29.Rxd4 Kxg7 30.Qg3+ Kf8 31.Qe3 Nd7 32.Kh1 Ke8 33.Qd2 Be6 34.e5 Qxe5 35.Rh4 Nf8 36.Qb4 Kf7 37.Re4 c5 38.Qb1 Qd5 39.Rf4 b4 40.Qa1 Nd7 41.Qb1 Kg7 42.Qe1 b3 43.Qg3+ Qg5 0-1
Nakamura, H (2736)-Carlsen, M (2863) [C65]
chess24.com (2.73) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 0-0 7.h3 Nd7 8.Nc4 a5 9.g4 Re8 10.Rg1 a4 11.Ne3 Bxe3 12.Bxe3 Nf8 13.h4 Qd6 14.Qd2 c5 15.h5 b5 16.Nh4 Qc6 17.Nf5 c4 18.Qb4 a3 19.b3 cxd3 20.cxd3 Qc2 21.h6 g6 22.Rc1 Qxd3 23.Rd1 Qc2 24.Ng7 Bb7 25.Nxe8 Rxe8 26.f3 Qxa2 27.Rd2 Qb1+ 28.Kf2 a2 29.Qc3 Ra8 30.Rxb1 axb1Q 31.Qxe5 1-0
Nakamura, H (2736)-Carlsen, M (2863) [C65]
chess24.com (2.75) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 d6 5.0-0 a6 6.Bxc6+ bxc6 7.d4 exd4 8.Qxd4 Be7 9.e5 c5 10.Qf4 dxe5 11.Nxe5 0-0 12.Nc6 Qd6 13.Nxe7+ Qxe7 14.Nc3 Bb7 15.Be3 Rfe8 16.Qg5 Qe6 17.h3 Qc6 18.f3 h6 19.Qxc5 Nd5 20.Nxd5 Qxd5 21.Qxd5 Bxd5 22.Kf2 Be6 23.Bf4 c5 24.Rfd1 a5 25.Rd2 a4 26.a3 Ra6 27.Re1 Rb6 28.Be5 Bf5 29.Bc3 Rxe1 30.Kxe1 f6 31.g4 Bg6 32.Rd8+ Kh7 33.Kd2 Rb7 34.Rc8 Rd7+ 35.Kc1 Re7 36.Rxc5 Re3 37.b4 axb3 38.cxb3 Rxf3 39.a4 Rxh3 40.a5 Rh2 41.a6 Ra2 42.Ba5 Be4 43.a7 g5 44.b4 Kg6 45.Rc8 f5 46.Re8 Bf3 47.gxf5+ Kf7 48.a8Q Bxa8 49.Rxa8 g4 50.Ra7+ Kf8 51.Bb6 1-0
Carlsen, M (2863)-Nakamura, H (2736) [A28]
chess24.com (2.76) 2020
1.c4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Nf3 Nc6 4.e3 d5 5.cxd5 Nxd5 6.Qc2 Ndb4 7.Qb1 f5 8.a3 Nd5 9.d3 Be6 10.Be2 Be7 11.0-0 0-0 12.Nxd5 Bxd5 13.b4 a6 14.Bb2 Bd6 15.e4 Be6 16.Bc3 fxe4 17.dxe4 Bg4 18.Qa2+ Kh8 19.Ne1 Bd7 20.Rd1 Qf6 21.Nd3 Qh4 22.f3 Rae8 23.g3 Qe7 24.Rf2 Be6 25.Qd2 Bb3 26.Rc1 Rd8 27.Qe3 a5 28.Nc5 axb4 29.axb4 Bxc5 30.Qxc5 Qxc5 31.bxc5 Nd4 32.Kg2 Nxe2 33.Rxe2 Rd3 34.Bxe5 Rdxf3 35.Rb2 Ba4 36.Rxb7 R3f7 37.c6 h5 38.Bxc7 Kh7 39.Bd6 Rf2+ 40.Kg1 R8f6 41.c7 Bd7 42.Bf4 Bc8 43.Rb8 1-0
Nakamura, H (2736)-Carlsen, M (2863) [C65]
chess24.com (2.77) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.Nbd2 Be6 7.h3 Nd7 8.Nf1 f6 9.g4 Qe7 10.Ng3 0-0-0 11.Qe2 Kb8 12.a3 Bb6 13.Be3 Nf8 14.0-0-0 Ng6 15.Nh5 Bxe3+ 16.Qxe3 c5 17.Nd2 b6 18.Nb1 Nh4 19.Rhg1 g5 20.Nc3 Ng6 21.Kb1 Nf4 22.Nxf4 gxf4 23.Qe2 h5 24.f3 hxg4 25.hxg4 Rh3 26.Rg2 Rdh8 27.Rdg1 Rh1 28.b3 c4 29.dxc4 Qxa3 30.g5 fxg5 31.Rxg5 a5 32.Qd3 Kb7 33.Rg7 Rxg1+ 34.Rxg1 Rh7 35.Na4 Qd6 36.Qc3 Bd7 37.Nb2 Rh3 38.Rd1 Qe7 39.Nd3 Rxf3 40.Qxe5 Rxd3 41.Qxe7 Rxd1+ 42.Kb2 Bc6 43.e5 f3 44.Qf6 Rd2 45.e6 f2 46.e7 Re2 47.Qf7 Rxe7 48.Qxf2 Rg7 49.Qf4 Rg2 50.Qe5 Rg6 51.c3 Rg2+ 52.Kc1 Rg4 53.Qe6 Re4 54.Qf7 Re1+ 55.Kd2 Re4 56.b4 axb4 57.cxb4 b5 58.cxb5 Bxb5 59.Qd5+ Bc6 60.Qc5 Re6 61.Kc3 Rd6 62.b5 Bd7 63.Qe5 Bc8 64.Kc4 Rb6 65.Kc5 Kb8 66.Qe8 Rd6 67.Qf8 Rb6 ½-½
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Kh7! Black’s futile options are 1…Sb6 2.Bxc7#; 1…f6+, Be3/d2/c1/h6 2.Qe7#; 1…Qc5 2.Rxc5#; 1…Qb5 2.Rxb5#; 1…Qxa5 2.Rxa5#; 1…Bh4/f6/d8 2.Qf4#; 1…Sd4/h4/d2/h2/e1/g1 2.Q(x)d4#./PN
