World Champion Magnus Carlsen hit back with three wins to beat GM Alireza Firouzja and book a 2024 Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge Semifinal against GM Nodirbek Abdusattorov, who eased past GM Ding Liren. It was the day the “veterans” struck back, as GM Fabiano Caruana gave GM Gukesh Dommaraju no hope of a comeback, while GM Levon Aronian crashed through to beat GM Vincent Keymer in 20 moves. 

The first day of the Semifinals begins on Tuesday, February 13, at 7 a.m. ET / 13:00 CET / 5:30 p.m. IST.  

For most of the event in Weissenhaus it had seemed that Chess960 might be a game for the youngsters, with the opening knowledge and pattern recognition of the experienced stars outgunned by raw energy and sheer calculating ability. Perhaps that will still prove the case, but not on this Monday, as three of the four Semifinal spots were taken by the old guard. 

Quarterfinal Results

Three of the matches were over fast, with Ding and Gukesh, who both needed to win on demand with the white pieces, finding all their opening advantage had gone after a move-five break by their opponent—5…e5! from Caruana, and 5…f5! from Abdusattorov.

Ding found himself completely lost by move 11, and when Abdusattorov later made what the computer would label a “blunder” he was simply heading for a position where he could all but force a draw and seal match victory.

Once again the world champion didn’t pause to hunt for any small chances, allowing his young opponent the easiest of draws. 

That leaves Ding on a score of 1/9, but his ordeal isn’t over, as he’ll continue in the “consolation” bracket where the players will compete for places five to eight. 

Ding Liren makes a rare draw, but it’s Nodirbek Abdusattorov who is the first player through to the #FreestyleChess semifinals! pic.twitter.com/t4Dg7CBVBc

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 12, 2024

No one doubts Gukesh’s will to fight in any game—see his zero draws in seven games in the Rapid—but it turned out the position against Caruana was just too miserable to offer any chances. The U.S. star dominated the board from start to finish and, in the final position, Gukesh offered a draw rather than continuing to play a losing position.

The one match-up in which no player was leading was Aronian-Keymer, and in the run-up to the game there was a preparation hiccup, as Aronian and Ding spent a few minutes analyzing a position with the queen and rook swapped on a1 and b1.

Niclas Huschenbeth had to point out they were analysing slightly the wrong position (as Kasparov and Svidler once did in St. Louis)! 😱 https://t.co/WqYiFChUJP

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 12, 2024

Aronian also pointed out that earlier incident in St. Louis, while sharing his emotions on discovering the mistake: “I am at this stage where I’m fine admitting I’m an idiot and I’m happy!”

I am at this stage where I’m fine admitting I’m an idiot and I’m happy! 

—Levon Aronian

As it happens, however, this time the opening went like a dream for Aronian, who told the confessional on move seven: “I’m optimistic, but I shouldn’t let this one slip away!” He didn’t, with 19-year-old Keymer’s fine play so far in the event suddenly undone. Attempts to gain counterplay only accelerated the end, with Aronian finding a brilliant finishing sequence with two final moves that had to have been spotted in advance. 

There was one match-up, however, on which it felt much more was resting.

Carlsen 3-1 Firouzja

The tournament is called the G.O.A.T. Challenge in honor of Carlsen, and although the world number-one commented, “I don’t refer to myself in those terms,” if he had failed to come back and beat Firouzja it would have meant he would be left fighting only for a maximum fifth place and $15,000, against the other players to lose quarterfinals.

Carlsen said after the day was over: “Of course when it’s the first tournament of its kind it would have been extremely unfortunate to bow out in the first round, especially after I haven’t shown anything that I’m capable of.”

He elaborated that in the games he’d lost, “I was missing tactics and I couldn’t see the full board completely,” before adding: “I want to leave another impression than that I’m just terrible at this, but I’ve sort of avoided the worst. I’ve shown now that I can at least play decently in classical chess!” 

I’ve shown now that I can at least play decently in classical chess!

—Magnus Carlsen

That brings us to the classical game in which Carlsen hit back on demand. It seemed from the opening that Firouzja had reasoned that the way to make the draw he required might be simply to mirror his opponent’s moves, which led to an extraordinary position with the e-file packed with pieces. Carlsen played 6.Rf1 with a heavy heart and a sin to confess.

Magnus Carlsen: “First of all, I would like to apologize to all fans of chess aesthetics, because before my last move the entire e-file was occupied with pieces… and now it’s not!”#FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/7GxTzaP1Vs

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 12, 2024

Carlsen was actually worried that his opponent would break the symmetry with the interesting pawn sacrifice 6…d5!?, when he could envision losing a miniature, but instead Firouzja mirrored moves further with 6…Rf8 and it was only three moves later when the young Frenchman had to react to, rather than repeat, a check. The point of no return seemed to come shortly afterward, with Firouzja playing 11…b6? instead of 11…a5!.

After 11…b6?! from Firouzja, Carlsen looks to have excellent chances of winning on demand. Leko notes the position is harmonious and almost like normal chess: https://t.co/7fmopI71Nl#FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/xhalW5PgiT

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 12, 2024

“I actually played well, which was a bit of a surprise!” said Carlsen, and the rest of the game was a very smooth positional win. It’s our Game of the Day, and has been analyzed by GM Rafael Leitao below:

First it was a false alarm, then Firouzja did indeed resign , and Magnus and Alireza will now play two 15+10 games for a place in the semifinals! #FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/c0lUEsmbYL

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 12, 2024

With the scores now tied, the whole match turned on the first 15+10 tiebreak game, which could easily have gone either way. Carlsen admitted his opening choice was “a rush of blood to the head,” and although it briefly seemed to be working out, one false step left him in trouble and needing to sacrifice an exchange. 

Carlsen’s 9…cxd4 is flagged as a mistake by the computer, which preferred 9…Ng6!, developing the knight and defending the h7-pawn#FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/o6OJdAhqEx

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 12, 2024

From there, however, it was all about Carlsen clawing his way back into the game, as he gradually did, until it was unclear who was playing for a win.

A draw eventually seemed the likely outcome, but when the world number-one emerged with an extra pawn in a bishop vs. knight endgame the one certainty was that Firouzja was going to have to withstand one of his opponent’s infamous long grinds. It seemed for a while that he would, especially when he put a pawn on g3, but Carlsen did Carlsen things to score a hugely important win.

Carlsen beats Firouzja in the first playoff game to take the lead — it may be Chess960, but Magnus is still better than anyone at squeezing wins out of nowhere! #FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/3RiiC4fJzg

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 12, 2024

GM Hikaru Nakamura noted that the endgame Carlsen had won was familiar from a recent game he’d played:

Amusing to see the exact same endgame I beat Minh Le with in Titled Tuesday being played by Magnus and Alireza in Germany…lol. https://t.co/5BUac9hyWD

— Hikaru Nakamura (@GMHikaru) February 12, 2024

There was more than a little Titled Tuesday about the way in which Firouzja then attempted to hit back on demand, playing 1…h6!?

There was some method in the madness—on h7 the bishop will target the white king on b1—but Carlsen thought it was more about that last game: “It seemed that he was obviously tilted going into the second game, but my brain was pretty fried!”

It seemed that he was obviously tilted going into that second game, but my brain was pretty fried!

—Magnus Carlsen

Carlsen got to build up a huge center and was soon completely winning. 

Except for one stumble near the end he never released that grip, though that didn’t mean it was easy. There were tactics everywhere, and he noted: “I got an absolutely dream position, but the pieces are placed on strange squares, and I was seeing ghosts.” In the end, however, the game reached it’s logical conclusion, and Carlsen had won the match 3-1—it was also the first day on which he hadn’t tasted defeat. 

Carlsen completes his comeback to beat Firouzja and reach the Semifinals of his G.O.A.T. Challenge! After a tournament dominated by youth until today, only Abdusattorov has made it to the Last 4, in place of Ding:

Abdusattorov-Carlsen
Caruana-Aronian#FreestyleChess pic.twitter.com/I2TO4c8D7V

— chess24.com (@chess24com) February 12, 2024

“What a mess!” said Carlsen, who also noted, “It just takes so much more energy to play this way!” Nevertheless, he’s through to the Semifinals and still in the hunt for the $60,000 top prize. Up next is Abdusattorov, who he called, “The guy who’s played by far the best chess here.” The other Semifinal is a very familiar match-up from the last decade or so of world chess: Caruana vs. Aronian. 

As you can see, the losing quarterfinalists will also keep playing for the fifth to eigth places, with Firouzja facing Ding, while Keymer takes on Gukesh.

The Freestyle Chess G.O.A.T. Challenge takes place February 9-16, 2024 in the Weissenhaus Private Nature Luxury Resort, Germany. All games are Chess960. It starts with a seven-round rapid tournament to decide pairings before a classical knockout tournament with two-game matches. A tie is decided by two 15+10 rapid games, then, if needed, two 5+2 blitz games, then finally an armageddon game. The prize fund is $200,000 with $60,000 for first place.

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