There was chessboard excitement galore as Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So squared off in the first of their best-of-two titular matches for the Skilling Open–Chess Champions Tour championship at the chess24.com server. The two traded wins – Magnus winning Games 1 and 3, and Wesley taking Games 2 and 4 – and finished the opening set tied at 2-2.
The two will play the second set today as we write this – the winner to pocket the $30,000 champion’s purse and the Skilling Open–Chess Champions Tour championship, the loser to settle for the $15,000 runner-up prize. Now, if the second set is also tied, the duo went into a blitz and Armageddon tie-break.
In a post-match interview, Carlsen said he finds Wesley a “very, very tough and difficult to beat opponent.”
Carlsen, M (2862)-So, Wesley (2770) [D41]
chess24.com (3.11) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 c5 5.cxd5 cxd4 6.Qxd4 exd5 7.e4 dxe4 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Ng5 Be6 10.Nxe6+ fxe6 11.Bc4 Ke7 12.0-0 Nbd7 13.Be3 Rc8 14.Bb3 Nc5 15.Bxc5+ Rxc5 16.Rfe1 g6 17.Nxe4 Nxe4 18.Rxe4 e5 19.f4 Bg7 20.Rae1 Rf8 21.fxe5 Rf5 22.e6 Bxb2 23.Rd1 Rc7 24.g4 Rf8 25.Kg2 b5 26.Re2 Bc3 27.Re3 Bb4 28.Red3 a5 29.Rd7+ Rxd7 30.Rxd7+ Kf6 31.Rb7 a4 32.g5+ Kxg5 33.Rxb5+ Rf5 34.Rxb4 axb3 35.e7 bxa2 36.e8Q a1Q 37.Qe7+ Kh6 38.Rh4+ Rh5 39.Qf8+ Qg7 40.Qf4+ g5 41.Qd6+ Qg6 42.Qf8+ Qg7 43.Rxh5+ 1-0
So, Wesley (2770)-Carlsen, M (2862) [C50]
chess24.com (3.12) 2020
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.0-0 Nf6 5.d3 d6 6.c3 h6 7.Re1 0-0 8.Nbd2 a5 9.Nf1 Be6 10.Bb5 Ne7 11.d4 Ba7 12.Ng3 Ng6 13.h3 c6 14.Bd3 a4 15.Be3 Re8 16.Qc2 b5 17.b4 axb3 18.axb3 Qc7 19.Ra6 Qb7 20.Rea1 Bb6 21.Rxa8 Rxa8 22.Rxa8+ Qxa8 23.dxe5 Qa1+ 24.Bf1 Bxe3 25.exf6 Bb6 26.fxg7 Ne5 27.Qd2 Nxf3+ 28.gxf3 Kxg7 29.Kg2 b4 30.Nh5+ Kg6 31.Nf4+ Kh7 32.Nxe6 bxc3 33.Qf4 fxe6 34.Qf7+ Kh8 35.Qf8+ Kh7 36.e5 Qd1 37.Qf7+ Kh8 38.Qe8+ Kh7 39.Qd7+ Kh8 40.Qc8+ Kg7 41.Qd7+ Kh8 42.Qe8+ Kg7 43.Qe7+ Kh8 44.Qxe6 Qd4 45.Qe8+ Kg7 46.Qe7+ Kg8 47.Qe6+ Kg7 48.Qf6+ Kh7 49.Qe7+ Kg8 50.Qe6+ Kg7 51.Qd7+ Kf8 52.Qf5+ Ke8 53.Qc8+ Ke7 54.exd6+ Qxd6 55.Qf5 Qd4 56.Qc2 Qg7+ 57.Kh1 Qe5 58.Bd3 Bc7 59.Kg2 Qh2+ 60.Kf1 Qxh3+ 61.Ke2 Qe6+ 62.Be4 Be5 63.Qa2 Qd6 64.Qa7+ Kf6 65.Qh7 Qd2+ 66.Kf1 Bd4 67.Qg6+ Ke7 68.Qg3 Bf6 69.Qc7+ Qd7 70.Qf4 h5 71.Qe3 Qd4 72.Qf4 Qd6 73.Qe3 c5 74.Bg6+ Kd8 75.Qe8+ Kc7 76.Be4 h4 77.Kg2 Qd7 78.Qh5 Kb6 79.f4 Qe6 80.Qg6 Ka5 81.Bf5 Qd6 82.Qe8 Kb6 83.Be4 Kc7 84.Qa8 Qxf4 85.Qc6+ Kd8 86.Qd5+ Ke8 87.Bg6+ Ke7 88.Qxc5+ Qd6 89.Qe3+ Kf8 90.Qe8+ Kg7 91.Qf7+ Kh6 92.Qh7+ Kg5 93.Qh5+ 1-0
Carlsen, M (2862)-So, Wesley (2770) [D38]
chess24.com (3.13) 2020
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 d5 4.Nc3 Bb4 5.Qa4+ Nc6 6.a3 Bxc3+ 7.bxc3 0-0 8.Bg5 h6 9.Bh4 Bd7 10.Qc2 Na5 11.g4 g5 12.Bg3 Ne4 13.h4 Nxg3 14.fxg3 gxh4 15.Rxh4 Kg7 16.g5 Rh8 17.Ne5 Nxc4 18.gxh6+ Kf8 19.Nxc4 Qg5 20.Kf2 dxc4 21.Qc1 Qf6+ 22.Qf4 Ke7 23.Qxf6+ Kxf6 24.Bg2 Rab8 25.Rh5 Kg6 26.Rah1 f5 27.g4 Rh7 28.g5 Bc6 29.Bf3 Bxf3 30.Kxf3 Rd8 31.Kf4 Rd5 32.R5h3 c5 33.Re3 Rd6 34.dxc5 Ra6 35.Rd1 1-0
So, Wesley (2770)-Carlsen, M (2862) [B33]
chess24.com (3.14) 2020
1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 e5 6.Ndb5 d6 7.Nd5 Nxd5 8.exd5 Nb8 9.Qf3 a6 10.Qa3 b6 11.Bg5 Be7 12.Bxe7 Kxe7 13.0-0-0 Bb7 14.Nc3 Nd7 15.f4 Qc7 16.fxe5 Nxe5 17.Qb4 h5 18.Be2 Kf8 19.Rhf1 Re8 20.Rf5 h4 21.Rf4 Qd8 22.Kb1 Rh6 23.Rdd4 h3 24.g3 Bc8 25.a4 Kg8 26.Rde4 Qc7 27.Rh4 a5 28.Qd4 Rxh4 29.Rxh4 Bf5 30.Rh5 Qc8 31.Qxb6 Ng4 32.Ba6 Re1+ 33.Ka2 Qe8 34.Rxf5 Ne3 35.Bb5 Qe7 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
