World champion Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So defeated their respective quarterfinal and semifinal opponents to arrange a final showdown for the Skilling Open–Chess Champions Tour championship at the chess24.com server.
Carlsen beat Anish Giri, 1½-½, in the quarterfinal and Ian Nepomniachtchi by the same margin in their best-of-two knockout matches while Wesley came from behind to whip Teimour Radjabov, 2-1, in overtime in the quarterfinal and Hikaru Nakamura, 1½-½, in the semifinal to earn the finals slot. Carlsen and Wesley will thus dispute the championship of the first tournament under the Chess Champions Tour which guarantees $30,000 for the winner.
The Tour will consist of 10 events – six regular tournaments, three majors and the finals – and will end September 2021. The Skilling Open is one of the six regular events scheduled.
So, Wesley (2770)-Radjabov, T (2765) [C50]
chess24.com (1.22) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.c3 d6 7.Re1 h6 8.Nbd2 a6 9.Nf1 Re8 10.Ng3 Ba7 11.Bb3 Be6 12.Bc2 d5 13.exd5 Qxd5 14.h3 Rad8 15.Qe2 Bc5 16.b4 Bf8 17.Bb2 Qd7 18.Qf1 Bd5 19.Re3 b5 20.a3 Re6 21.Rae1 e4 22.Nxe4 Nxe4 23.c4 Ng5 24.Nxg5 Rxe3 25.fxe3 hxg5 26.cxd5 Qxd5 27.d4 a5 28.Qd3 g6 29.Bb3 Ne5 30.Qc3 axb4 31.axb4 Nc4 32.e4 Qd6 33.Bxc4 bxc4 34.d5 f6 35.Qxf6 Qxf6 36.Bxf6 Rb8 37.Bxg5 Bxb4 38.Rc1 c3 39.Bf6 Re8 40.Bxc3 Bc5+ 41.Kh1 Rxe4 42.Ba5 Bb6 43.Bxb6 cxb6 44.Rc6 Kf7 45.Rxb6 Rd4 46.d6 Ke6 47.Kh2 Kf5 48.Kg3 g5 49.Kf3 Rd3+ 50.Ke2 Rd4 51.Ke3 Rd1 52.d7 Rxd7 53.g4+ Ke5 54.Rg6 Rh7 55.Rxg5+ Kf6 56.Rf5+ Kg6 57.Rf3 Kg5 58.Kf2 Kh4 59.Rf5 1-0
So, Wesley (2770)-Nakamura, H (2736) [C53]
chess24.com (2.12) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.0-0 h6 7.Re1 0-0 8.Nbd2 a5 9.Nf1 Be6 10.Bb5 Bb6 11.Ng3 Nh7 12.h3 Ng5 13.Nxg5 hxg5 14.d4 exd4 15.Bxc6 bxc6 16.cxd4 c5 17.d5 Bd7 18.a4 Re8 19.Bd2 c4 20.Qf3 Rb8 21.Bc3 Bc5 22.Re2 f6 23.Nf5 Bb4 24.Bd4 Bc5 25.Bc3 Bb4 26.Ne3 Bc8 27.Bd4 Ba6 28.Nf5 Bc8 29.Ne3 Ba6 30.Nf5 Bc8 31.Rc1 Qd7 32.Rec2 Ba6 33.h4 gxh4 34.Qg4 Kf8 35.Bxf6 gxf6 36.Qxh4 Kg8 37.Re2 Re5 38.Re3 Rf5 39.Rh3 Rg5 40.Qh8 Kf7 41.Rh7 1-0
Giri, A (2764)-Carlsen, M (2862) [C50]
chess24.com (1.14) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 h6 7.Nbd2 0-0 8.Re1 a5 9.Nf1 Be6 10.Bb5 Ne7 11.d4 Ba7 12.dxe5 Ng4 13.Be3 Nxe3 14.Nxe3 dxe5 15.Nxe5 Ng6 16.Nxg6 fxg6 17.Qxd8 Raxd8 18.Re2 Bxe3 19.fxe3 Kf7 20.Ba4 Ke7 21.h3 Bc4 22.Rc2 Rd3 23.Re1 Kd6 24.Bb3 Ba6 25.Rcc1 Ke5 26.Rcd1 Rfd8 27.Rxd3 Bxd3 28.Kf2 Rd6 29.Bd1 Bc4 30.b3 Rd2+ 31.Kg3 Be6 32.Rf1 Rxa2 33.Bg4 Bxb3 34.Rf8 Kxe4 35.Rc8 Kxe3 36.Rxc7 Bd5 37.Bf3 Bxf3 38.gxf3 Rb2 39.Rxg7 Rb6 40.c4 Kd4 41.Rc7 a4 42.c5 Ra6 43.Rxb7 Kxc5 44.Rc7+ Kb6 45.Rc1 a3 46.h4 a2 47.Ra1 Ra4 48.f4 h5 49.Kf3 Kc5 50.Ke3 Kd5 51.Kf3 Ke6 0-1
Carlsen, M (2862)-Nepomniachtchi, I (2784) [B22]
chess24.com (2.22) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.c3 Nf6 3.e5 Nd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4 Nb6 6.Bb3 d5 7.exd6 Qxd6 8.0-0 Be6 9.Bxe6 Qxe6 10.a4 Qd7 11.a5 Nd5 12.a6 b6 13.d4 cxd4 14.Nxd4 e6 15.Nxc6 Qxc6 16.Qg4 h5 17.Qe2 b5 18.Na3 Bxa3 19.Rxa3 f6 20.Rb3 Nc7 21.Rb4 Qxa6 22.Rh4 Kf7 23.Rxh5 Nd5 24.Re1 Qc6 25.h4 a5 26.Rxh8 Rxh8 27.h5 a4 28.Bd2 Ne7 29.h6 gxh6 30.Qh5+ Ng6 31.Bxh6 Qd6 32.Rd1 Qc6 33.Rd4 f5 34.Rd3 Rg8 35.Bg5 Rh8 36.Qe2 Qc7 37.Rh3 Rxh3 38.gxh3 Qe5 39.Qd1 Nf8 40.h4 Kg6 41.Qd8 Qg7 42.Qe8+ Kh7 43.Qxb5 Ng6 44.Qxa4 Ne5 45.Qf4 Qh8 46.b4 Kg6 47.Qe3 Kf7 48.b5 Qb8 49.Bf4 Qg8+ 50.Kf1 Ng4 51.Qa7+ Kg6 52.Qe7 Nf6 53.h5+ 1-0
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qf8!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…cxd6 2.Qxd6#; 1…dxe6 2.Sf6#; 1…c4 2.Sc3#; 1…exf4 2.Qf5#; 1…Sa5/d4/xd2/a1/c1 2.Rxc5#./PN
