English Chess Forum

Magnus Carlsen, Ding Liren, Hikaru Nakamura and Daniil Dubov begin battle this Sunday for the highest ever prize in online chess. The best of five sets semi-finals of the $1 million Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour see Carlsen take on Ding Liren while Nakamura plays Dubov, before the winners compete in a best of seven sets final for the $140,000 top prize and a total prize fund for this tournament alone of $300,000.
Chess 24 article

TWIC

Summary Day 1 Ding took the lead after he got the draw he needed in a final Armageddon tie-break vs Carlsen. Nakamura beat Dubov 3.5-2.5 by winning the second blitz game - only the first blitz game was draw the rest of the games were decisive.

The second of up to five sets will be played on Monday at 3pm UK time.

Today's 2nd sets were very one-sided affairs. Nakamura crushed Dubov 3-1, and puts him one set short of the Final. Meanwhile in the other match, Carlsen swept Ding Liren off the board. It would have been 3-0, but Carlsen sealed the set with a generous half. That leaves matters all-square after a turbulent day yesterday when, if I understand things correctly, Carlsen suffered two disconnections

Nakamura beat Carlsen 2.5-1.5 in the first set of the best of 7. Nakamura looks really prepared for this and seems to have grown as a player since the pandemic started.

TWIC report on day 1

Carlsen, Magnus vs Nakamura, Hikaru
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nf3 d5 4. Nc3 dxc4 5. e4 b5 6. e5 Nd5 7. Nxb5 Nb6 8. a3 Nc6 9. Be3 Na5 10. Qc2 a6 11. Nc3 Be7 12. Rd1 Bb7 13. Be2 Qd7 14. h4 Bc6 15. Rh3 Rb8 16. Rg3 Ba4 17. Nxa4 Qxa4 18. Rc1 Nb3 19. Rxg7 Nxc1 20. Qxc1 c3 21. Qxc3 Nd5 22. Qc1 Nxe3 23. fxe3 Kf8 24. Rg4 Qb3 25. Qxc7 Qxb2 26. Kf2 Qb7 27. Qa5 Rg8 28. Rf4 Qc6 29. Qd2 h6 30. Qd3 Rg7 31. Qxa6 Qxa6 32. Bxa6 Rb2+ 33. Be2 Bxa3 34. g4 Be7 35. Re4 Rg8 36. Rf4 Kg7 37. g5 hxg5 38. Nxg5 Bxg5 39. hxg5 Rh8 40. Kf3 Rh3+ 41. Kg4 Rxe3 42. Bf3 Rd2 43. Kh4 Red3 44. d5 exd5 45. Rf6 Re3 46. Rf5 Rd4+ 47. Kh5 Rb4 48. e6 fxe6 49. Rf6 Re5 50. Rg6+ Kf7 51. Rf6+ Ke7 52. Kh6 Rb8 53. Rf4 Rf8 54. Rxf8 Kxf8 55. g6 Kg8 56. g7 Re1 0-1

Carlsen loses the first game of the second set. Nakamura's prep seems to be better even though Carlsen was bashing out his moves. Suddenly Carlsen took almost 10 minutes on one move and clearly things had gone wrong.

Chris Rice wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 3:45 pm

Carlsen loses the first game of the second set. Nakamura's prep seems to be better even though Carlsen was bashing out his moves. Suddenly Carlsen took almost 10 minutes on one move and clearly things had gone wrong.

Good game to watch once they were out of computer preparation. Very impressive middlegame from Nakamura, and after an ingenious attempt by Carlsen to muddy the waters, Nakamura still had to find some moves (e.g. Kc6) which were far from easy to consider and make, especially in rapidplay

Carlsen was pretty much lost in games 3 & 4 but Nakamura couldn't take advantage in Game 3 and played a careless move in Game 4 and Carlsen equalised and then won the Armageddon. One of the many things which are impressive about Carlsen is the way he can switch from desperately saving a lost game one moment to instantaneously going for the win when there seemed no chance of such a possibility happening.

Chris Rice wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:06 pm

Carlsen ... then won the Armageddon.

They didn't get to an Armageddon game. The rapidplay games were drawn 2-2 and Carlsen won the blitz games 1.5-0.5. Armageddon would have been next had the blitz games also been drawn.

Ian Thompson wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:16 pm

Chris Rice wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:06 pm

Carlsen ... then won the Armageddon.

They didn't get to an Armageddon game. The rapidplay games were drawn 2-2 and Carlsen won the blitz games 1.5-0.5. Armageddon would have been next had the blitz games also been drawn.

Thanks for correcting me. Tania Sachdev just kept repeating Armageddon while I was half watching the chess and trying to get the dinner ready so I just assumed. Mind you, the game that I thought was an Armageddon was a lovely finish by Carlsen attacking the rook on d7 and threatening mate on d1. Nakamura looked like he'd been punched in the stomach.

TWIC final set 2 report

Nakamura, Hikaru vs Carlsen, Magnus
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. d3 Bd6 6. Nbd2 Bg4 7. h3 Bh5 8. Nc4 Nd7 9. Ne3 Nf8 10. Nf5 Ne6 11. g4 Bg6 12. Be3 c5 13. c3 Qd7 14. Qc2 O-O-O 15. O-O-O f6 16. Kb1 Kb8 17. d4 cxd4 18. cxd4 exd4 19. N3xd4 Nxd4 20. Rxd4 Bxf5 21. exf5 h5 22. Rhd1 hxg4 23. hxg4 Qe7 24. Qa4 b6 25. Qc6 Be5 26. Rd7 Rxd7 27. Rxd7 Qb4 28. Bd4 Bd6 29. Qe4 Qa4 0-1

Chris Rice wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:06 pm

Carlsen was pretty much lost in games 3 & 4 but Nakamura couldn't take advantage in Game 3 and played a careless move in Game 4 and Carlsen equalised and then won the Armageddon. One of the many things which are impressive about Carlsen is the way he can switch from desperately saving a lost game one moment to instantaneously going for the win when there seemed no chance of such a possibility happening.

Didn't he lose game three and then play a known drawing line with white in game 4?

Richard Bates wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 8:59 pm

Chris Rice wrote: ↑

Sat Aug 15, 2020 6:06 pm

Carlsen was pretty much lost in games 3 & 4 but Nakamura couldn't take advantage in Game 3 and played a careless move in Game 4 and Carlsen equalised and then won the Armageddon. One of the many things which are impressive about Carlsen is the way he can switch from desperately saving a lost game one moment to instantaneously going for the win when there seemed no chance of such a possibility happening.

Didn't he lose game three and then play a known drawing line with white in game 4?

Well yes, Nakamura did indeed lose Game 3 after he couldn't take advantage of his great position. 20...Bf7 seemed to be the turning point as it looked like Nakamura expected 21 Nxc6 Qxc6 22 Qxc6 bxc6 and missed 22 Qg4+ which you could tell by his reactions as he slapped the table. He also missed 38 Bxf6 later on, as did everybody else of course.

Carlsen, Magnus (NOR) - Nakamura, Hikaru (USA)

1-0

Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Kiva Finals 2020 round 28
1. c4 e5 2. g3 Nf6 3. Bg2 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. Nf3 Nc6 6. O-O Nb6 7. b3 Be6 8. Qc2 Qd7 9. Rd1 O-O-O 10. Nc3 f6 11. d4 exd4 12. Bb2 Bf5 13. Qc1 d3 14. exd3 Bh3 15. Bh1 Bg4 16. d4 Bb4 17. d5 Bxc3 18. Qxc3 Nxd5 19. Qc4 Be6 20. Nd4 Bf7 21. Nxc6 Qxc6 22. Qg4+ Qe6 23. Qxg7 Rhg8 24. Qh6 Qf5 25. Bg2 Kb8 26. Rd4 Rde8 27. Qd2 c6 28. b4 Qh5 29. Re1 Rxe1+ 30. Qxe1 Re8 31. Re4 Rxe4 32. Bxe4 Bg6 33. Bg2 Qf5 34. a3 Qd3 35. h4 Kc7 36. Kh2 Qb1 37. Qd2 Be4 38. Bxf6 Bxg2 39. Kxg2 Kb6 40. Bd4+ Kb5 41. Bxa7 Ka4 42. Bc5 b5 43. Qe2 Kxa3 44. Qe6 Qd3 45. Qxc6 Kb3 46. Qe6 Qc4 47. Qf5 Nxb4 48. Bxb4 Kxb4 49. Qxh7 Qd5+ 50. Kh2 Ka3 51. Qa7+ Kb2 52. Qg7+ Ka2 53. Qg5 Qd3 54. Qc5 Qe2 55. h5 Qb2 56. h6 b4 57. h7 Qf6 58. Kg2 b3 59. Qa7+

I am finding it a little difficult to follow this new format so not sure what I was thinking about for game 4 so scratch that comment!

Third set and Carlsen completely outplayed Nakamura in Game 1 followed by the players doing what they did yesterday when there was a decisive game and halving out in a handful of moves.

Absolute shocker for Carlsen in Game 3 and Nakamura equalises the score 1.5 1.5.