World champion Magnus Carlsen opened up with both barrels to win the sixth set, 3-1, against Hikaru Nakamura and take the final of the Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour on the chess24.com server to a seventh and deciding set.
Apparently psychologically unaffected facing a must-win situation, Carlsen simply trimmed his sails to stymie Nakamura’s quest to win the Tour crown.
Nakamura was leading the best-of-seven series, 3-2, and needed only to win the sixth set to wrap up the championship.
Instead, Carlsen took risks which paid off, winning Games 1 and 4 of the set while allowing only two draws for a 3-1 final count.
What is ironic was that it was reported Carlsen injured himself while he was exercising half-an-hour before the sixth set started and the pain of the injury made him visibly uncomfortable as he took his seat opposite Nakamura.
The two will tangle for the seventh and final set to decide who takes the $140,000 champion’s purse and the bragging rights. The loser will have to be contented with the $80,000 runner-up money.
Carlsen, M (2863)-Nakamura, H (2736) [E47]
chess24.com (2.61) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e3 0-0 5.Bd3 c5 6.Nge2 d5 7.a3 Bxc3+ 8.bxc3 dxc4 9.Bxc4 Qc7 10.Ba2 b6 11.0-0 Ba6 12.Bb2 Nc6 13.Rc1 Rac8 14.c4 cxd4 15.exd4 Qe7 16.d5 exd5 17.Re1 Bxc4 18.Ng3 Qd8 19.Bb1 b5 20.Nf5 d4 21.Qd2 Be6 22.Rc5 a6 23.Nxg7 Kxg7 24.Qg5+ Kh8 25.Qh4 Rg8 26.Rxc6 Rxc6 27.Bxd4 Kg7 28.Qxh7+ Kf8 29.Qh6+ Ke8 30.Bxf6 Qa5 31.Qe3 Qb6 32.Rd1 Rd6 33.Bd4 Qc6 34.Be4 Qc4 35.h3 Kd7 36.Rd2 Re8 37.Kh2 Bd5 38.Bf5+ Be6 39.Bd3 Qa4 40.Be5 Rd5 41.Qa7+ 1-0
Nakamura, H (2736)-Carlsen, M (2863) [C65]
chess24.com (2.62) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 d6 5.0-0 Be7 6.c3 a6 7.Ba4 0-0 8.Re1 Re8 9.Nbd2 Bf8 10.Nf1 h6 11.Ng3 b5 12.Bc2 d5 13.a4 Rb8 14.axb5 axb5 15.h3 dxe4 16.dxe4 Qxd1 17.Rxd1 b4 18.Ba4 Bb7 19.cxb4 Bxb4 20.Be3 Ra8 21.b3 Red8 22.Rac1 Rxd1+ 23.Rxd1 Bd6 24.Nd2 Nb4 25.Rc1 Nd3 26.Rc2 Nb4 27.Rc4 Ba6 28.Rc1 Bd3 29.Rc3 Rd8 30.Nc4 Bxc4 31.Rxc4 Nd3 32.Rc2 Nf4 33.f3 g6 34.Nf1 Nd7 35.Nd2 Bc5 36.Nf1 Ne6 37.Bxd7 Bxe3+ 38.Nxe3 Rxd7 39.Ng4 Re7 40.Nxh6+ Kg7 41.Ng4 Nd4 42.Rc5 f6 43.b4 c6 44.Kh2 Rb7 45.Rc4 g5 46.Ne3 Kg6 47.Kg3 Ra7 48.Nc2 Nxc2 49.Rxc2 Ra4 50.Rb2 Ra3 51.Kf2 Kh5 52.Rc2 Ra6 53.Ke2 Kh4 54.Kd3 Kg3 55.Kc4 Ra1 56.Kc5 Rb1 57.Re2 Rc1+ 58.Kd6 Rb1 59.Ke6 Rxb4 60.Kxf6 Kf4 61.Rc2 c5 62.Rc3 Rb6+ 63.Ke7 Rb2 64.Ke6 Rxg2 65.Rxc5 Rg3 66.Rxe5 Rxf3 67.Rf5+ Kxe4 68.Rxf3 Kxf3 69.Kf5 Kg3 70.Kxg5 Kh3 ½-½
Carlsen, M (2863)-Nakamura, H (2736) [C67]
chess24.com (2.63) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.0-0 Nxe4 5.Re1 Nd6 6.Nxe5 Be7 7.Bf1 Nf5 8.c3 Nxe5 9.Rxe5 d6 10.Re1 d5 11.d4 0-0 12.Bf4 Bd6 13.Qf3 Nh4 14.Qg3 Nf5 15.Qf3 Nh4 16.Qg3 Nf5 17.Qf3 ½-½
Nakamura, H (2736)-Carlsen, M (2863) [C65]
chess24.com (2.64) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 d6 5.c3 g6 6.0-0 Bg7 7.Re1 0-0 8.Nbd2 Re8 9.Nf1 a6 10.Ba4 h6 11.Ng3 d5 12.h3 b5 13.Bc2 Be6 14.Bd2 Qd7 15.a4 Rad8 16.axb5 axb5 17.b4 d4 18.Qc1 dxc3 19.Bxc3 Nh7 20.Qb2 Qd6 21.Ne2 Ng5 22.Nd2 Bc8 23.Ra8 Bf8 24.Rb1 Bd7 25.Ra6 Ra8 26.Rxa8 Rxa8 27.h4 Ne6 28.Nf3 Bg7 29.Bb3 Ncd4 30.Nfxd4 Nxd4 31.Bxd4 exd4 32.f4 Bg4 33.e5 Qe7 34.Nxd4 Qxh4 35.Rc1 Rd8 36.Qc3 Qg3 37.Qxc7 Rd7 38.Qc8+ Kh7 39.Ra1 Rxd4 40.e6 Rxf4 0-1
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PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Ng2! Black’s futile options are 1…e6, Bd5 2.Q(x)d5#; 1…e5 2.Rf4#; 1…Rxf5+ 2.Qxf5#; 1…Bd4 2.Qxd4#; 1…Sd3 2.Sd6#; 1…Sxg2 2.Bxg2#./PN
