As expected, top favorite and world chess champion Magnus Carlsen defeated Ian Nepomniachtchi in the second set of their best-of-3 series of finals matches to win the Legends of Chess Online Rapid Tournament which concluded Tuesday at the chess24.com server.
The second set, though abbreviated, was fairly entertaining with Carlsen opening with both barrels and convincingly subduing a game Nepomniachtchi in three games, 2½-½. Carlsen won the first set with difficulty earlier, 4-2. Carlsen pocketed $45,000 for the win, while Nepomniachtchi settled for the $30,000 runner-up purse, but his loss also meant the Russian GM did not qualify for the grand final of the 2020 Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour which will be conducted also at the chess24.com server.
The first leg of the tour, dubbed the Magnus Carlsen Invitational, was won by Carlsen while the second leg, dubbed the Lindores Abbey Rapid Challenge, was won by Daniil Dubov. The third leg, named the Chessable Masters, was also won by Carlsen.
The Tour’s grand final, scheduled from August 9 to 20, will have Carlsen, Liren Ding, Dabov and Hikaru Nakamura as cast.
Carlsen, M (2863)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [A48]
chess24.com (2.21) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.Nf3 g6 3.Bf4 Bg7 4.e3 0-0 5.Be2 d6 6.0-0 Nh5 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 g5 9.Nfd2 Nf6 10.Bg3 Nc6 11.Nc3 e5 12.dxe5 Nxe5 13.f4 Neg4 14.Rf3 Re8 15.Nf1 Nh5 16.Be1 f5 17.Bc4+ Be6 18.Bxe6+ Rxe6 19.h3 Ngf6 20.fxg5 hxg5 21.Rxf5 Bh6 22.g4 Ng7 23.Rf3 Qd7 24.Ng3 Rae8 25.Bf2 Qc6 26.e4 Nd7 27.Nd5 1-0
Nepomniachtchi, I (2784)-Carlsen, M (2863) [B90]
chess24.com (2.22) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.h3 e5 7.Nb3 Be7 8.g4 h6 9.Be3 Nbd7 10.a4 Nf8 11.Bc4 Ng6 12.Qe2 Bd7 13.f3 Rc8 14.h4 Nh7 15.h5 Bh4+ 16.Rxh4 Nxh4 17.0-0-0 Nxf3 18.Rxd6 Qe7 19.Rb6 Bxg4 20.Bd5 0-0 21.Qg2 Qh4 22.Rg6 Nhg5 23.Kb1 Be6 24.Rxe6 fxe6 25.Bxb7 Qe1+ 26.Bc1 Rxc3 27.bxc3 Nxe4 28.Bxe4 Qxe4 29.Bxh6 Rf7 30.Bc1 Qf5 31.Qe2 Rc7 32.Kb2 Qxh5 33.Qxa6 Qe8 34.Qb5 Qc6 35.c4 Kf7 36.c5 Nd4 37.Qf1+ Kg8 38.Be3 Qxa4 39.Bxd4 exd4 40.Qf4 Qd7 41.Qe5 Rb7 42.Qe4 Rb8 43.Qe5 Rb4 44.Qe4 Qd5 45.Qg4 Rc4 46.Qf4 Rb4 47.Qg4 Qf5 48.Qh4 Rc4 49.Qd8+ Kh7 50.Qh4+ Kg6 51.Nxd4 Qe5 52.Qg4+ Kh7 53.Qh4+ Kg8 54.Qd8+ Kf7 55.Qd7+ Kf6 56.c3 Rxc5 57.Qd8+ Kg6 58.Qe8+ Kh7 59.Qd8 Rd5 60.Qh4+ Kg8 61.Qg4 Rd6 62.Qh4 Qf6 63.Qe4 Rb6+ 64.Kc2 Kf7 65.Qa8 Qg6+ 66.Kd2 Rb2+ 67.Ke3 Qg1+ 68.Kd3 Qf1+ 69.Ke3 Qf2+ 70.Kd3 Qg2 71.Nf3 Qe2+ 72.Kd4 Qd1+ 73.Ke3 Re2+ 74.Kf4 Qd6+ 75.Kg4 Rg2+ 76.Kh5 g6+ 0-1
Carlsen, M (2863)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [A41]
chess24.com (2.23) 2020
1.d4 d6 2.e4 g6 3.Nf3 Bg7 4.Be2 Nc6 5.0-0 e5 6.dxe5 dxe5 7.Qxd8+ Nxd8 8.Nc3 Ne6 9.Bc4 c6 10.Ng5 Nd8 11.Rd1 Nh6 12.a4 f6 13.Nf3 Nhf7 14.a5 Be6 15.Be2 Bf8 16.Be3 Nd6 17.Nd2 N8f7 18.f3 Bh6 19.Bf2 Rd8 20.Nb3 Bxb3 21.cxb3 a6 22.Na4 Nc8 23.Nc5 Rxd1+ 24.Rxd1 Nfd6 25.Nxb7 Nxb7 26.Bxa6 Nbd6 27.Bxc8 Nxc8 28.a6 Rf8 29.a7 Nxa7 30.Bxa7 Rf7 31.Bc5 Rb7 32.b4 Bf8 33.Bxf8 Kxf8 34.Rd6 Ke7 35.Rxc6 Rxb4 36.Rc7+ ½-½
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Ne3! Black’s futile options are 1…Sfxe3 2.Qd2#; 1…Kxe3 2.Qc3#; 1…fxe3 2.Rxg4#; 1…Sgxe3 2.Bf6#./PN
