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GMs Magnus Carlsen and Nodirbek Abdusattorov took the lead on Wednesday in the 2023 Champions Chess Tour Finals.
Against GM Fabiano Caruana, Carlsen won game one from a lost position—after losing his queen. And after losing the next two games, the world number-one won twice to steal the set. Abdusattorov lost his first game against GM Wesley So but then won two consecutive games to live up to his name, the comeback kid.
This is the first of three potential sets in the Semifinals, which will conclude on Thursday, December 14, starting at 12 p.m. ET / 18:00 CET / 10:30 p.m. IST.
We’re nearly at the final stretch of the tournament, with just three days remaining. The remaining players are guaranteed at least $50,000 at this point (not counting an extra $1,000 per match win).
The Semifinals format is similar to tennis—three sets decide a winner. Each set consists of four games and a possible armageddon tiebreak; if the players have an even score after two sets, the third will break the tie. For the full format information, read more here.
Carlsen 3-2 Caruana: Carlsen Suffers Poor Start, Levels Up In Second Half
All five games were decisive in this match, including the armageddon. Caruana controlled the first half, but Carlsen took the reins in the second.
Actually, this was their second match in this tournament, and Carlsen won the last one. On the other hand, Caruana was in stellar form; he won two smooth matches on Tuesday and said: “I feel like if I play like I did yesterday then I’ll have a decent shot.”
I feel like if I play like I did yesterday then I’ll have a decent shot.
—Fabiano Caruana
Magnus Carlsen wins the game from a losing position, DOWN A QUEEN! 😱#CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/wdhWbRP0pX
— chess24.com (@chess24com) December 13, 2023
“The first game was a disgrace, to put it mildly,” said Caruana who made up for it by winning game two. Hess praised the tremendous technical play of the world number-two in the endgame: “He just out-Magnused Magnus Carlsen!”
“He just out-Magnused Magnus Carlsen!”
—Robert Hess
Caruana played the Dark Archangel for a second time in game three. He later said Carlsen’s 17.Bg5 wasn’t a good move and, after his response 17…Nh5, Vachier-Lagrave said on the broadcast: “I feel like Magnus has lost hopes to get an opening advantage here… this position is very comfortable to play for Fabiano.”
Caruana mounted pressure with a powerful knight on f4 and struck the winning blow with 32…Nxg2!, after which Howell exclaimed: “Game over, simply no way Magnus Carlsen survives this one!”
“Game over, simply no way Magnus Carlsen survives this one,” says Howell as Caruana’s on his way to winning a second game in a row!#CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/1kQN5ToHte
— chess24.com (@chess24com) December 13, 2023
Needing to win on demand with the black pieces in the last game, Carlsen delivered. Things went wrong early in the opening for Caruana, as Howell explains in the clip below:
Carlsen dropped the Zeus-thunderbolt in style, 19…Bxh2!, a discovered attack uncovering the d-file. The game continued: 20.Kxh2 Rxd2 21.Bxd2 Qd6+ and Black went on to win the endgame.
.@MagnusCarlsen finds the DOUBLE EXCLAM on demand!!
Looks like we’re getting a tie break 👀 #CCTFinals pic.twitter.com/gsL9nwaNnu
— Chess.com (@chesscom) December 13, 2023
Armageddon: Carlsen Plays For Win With Black
Carlsen won the bid for Black with the low bid of 8:56. He explained: “I didn’t think too much, it seemed normal to me,” to which Caruana, who bid over 10 minutes, responded: “There’s no way I’d go as low as 8:56.”
After the match, Carlsen explained: “I just didn’t want to be in a situation where I get ground down. I didn’t have the energy or the nerves at that point to play a long game at all. I just wanted to get a quick fight and see what happens,” adding that Caruana probably didn’t expect him to take such a sharp direction with Black.
I just wanted to get a quick fight and see what happens.
—Magnus Carlsen
GM Rafael Leitao presents our Game of the Day, which Carlsen won even when a draw was good enough.
Abdusattorov 2.5-1.5 So: Youngster Loses First Game, Then Takes Over
After finishing first in the round-robin, So earned the privilege of choosing his Semifinals opponent. Considering his choices were between a former world champion, a former world championship challenger, and a former world rapid champion, he went with the youngest and least experienced player.
The first game went quickly from a Ruy Lopez Opening into a complicated four-bishops endgame. After 89 moves, with both players playing on just about 10 seconds, So finally cracked the defense with his extra passed pawn:
The commentators called him the “comeback kid” since day two of the Finals, and Abdusattorov lived up to his name the very next game, finishing with a queen sacrifice.
“I’m quite happy that I won in a drawn endgame!” said Abdusattorov after winning a second game in a row after that. Howell broke down a critical middlegame moment, followed by how the game ended:
With a draw in the final game, the comeback kid did it again. “This is my first match win against Wesley, it feels great!” he said afterward. “I played good chess in every game. I’m just satisfied with my result today.”
The Semifinals are far from over, however. Caruana and So will have one more chance in set two on Thursday. And, if they do manage to win, it will all be decided in one last match that’s win or go home.
The 2023 Champions Chess Tour Finals (CCT Finals) is the closing event of the Champions Chess Tour, Chess.com’s most important event to date. The players meet in Toronto, Canada, in a thrilling last clash for the title. The Finals feature a $500,000 prize fund.
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