WORLD champion Magnus Carlsen finally won his first Meltwater Champions Chess Tour tournament by beating Hikaru Nakamura and taking the 2021 New In Chess Classic, the tour’s fifth event which ended Sunday, May 2, at the chess24.com server.
After winning the first set, 3-1, over the weekend, Carlsen held off a determined Nakamura in the second set, 2-2. For a while, it looked like Nakamura would extend the finals to a tiebreak after winning the first game of the second set. However, in a moment of indecision and in a position where he is much better, Nakamura allowed a draw by repetition. The American again turned aggressive in the 3rd game but the Norwegian was up to the challenge, and pounced so hard on a weakness to even the count. Needing a win in the 4th game to extend the match, Nakamura would, however, concede the draw after Carlsen’s deftly thwarted his aggressions at every turn.
Meanwhile, Shakhriyar Mamedyarov once again defeated Levon Aronian in the second set, 2½-½, to win the battle for third place. Carlsen’s victory was worth $30,000 with Nakamura settling for the $15,000 runner-up pot. Mamedyarov pocketed $8,500 and Aronian took home $6,500. The sixth and next leg of the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour will be played this coming May 23.
Nakamura, H (2736)-Carlsen, M (2847) [E35]
chess24.com (3.21) 2021
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 d5 5.cxd5 exd5 6.Bg5 h6 7.Bh4 c5 8.dxc5 Be6 9.e3 0-0 10.Nf3 Nbd7 11.Nd4 Bxc5 12.Bd3 Bxd4 13.exd4 Qb6 14.Qd2 Ne4 15.Bxe4 dxe4 16.d5 Bf5 17.0-0 Qg6 18.d6 Ne5 19.Bg3 Rfe8 20.Nb5 Rad8 21.Qc3 Nc6 22.Nc7 Rf8 23.Rad1 h5 24.Qc5 Rd7 25.b4 a6 26.a4 e3 27.fxe3 Be4 28.Rd2 Kh7 29.b5 axb5 30.axb5 Nd8 31.Nd5 Ne6 32.Qc4 h4 33.Ne7 Qg4 34.Be5 Ng5 35.Bf4 Nh3+ 36.Kh1 f5 37.Qe6 Nxf4 38.Rxf4 Ra8 39.Kg1 Ra1+ 40.Rf1 Rxf1+ 41.Kxf1 Rd8 42.h3 Qg5 43.d7 Qxe3 44.Qg6+ Kh8 45.Qh5+ Qh6 46.Qe8+ Kh7 47.Qxd8 Bxg2+ 48.Ke2 Bf1+ 49.Kd1 1-0
Aronian, L (2781)-Mamedyarov, S (2770) [C77]
chess24.com (3.21) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 Be7 9.a4 Rb8 10.0-0 d6 11.Nbd2 0-0 12.c3 Na5 13.Ba2 c5 14.Re1 Qc7 15.b4 cxb4 16.cxb4 Nc6 17.Rc1 Qd7 18.Rb1 Nh5 19.Bxe7 Qxe7 20.Nf1 Nf4 21.Ne3 Qf6 22.h4 bxa4 23.g3 Be6 24.Bxe6 fxe6 25.gxf4 Qxf4 26.Nh2 Qxf2+ 27.Kh1 Rxb4 28.Neg4 Qxh4 29.Rg1 Rxb1 30.Qxb1 Nd4 31.Qb7 Ne2 32.Ra1 h5 33.Qd7 hxg4 34.Qxe6+ Kh8 35.Qxg4 Qxg4 36.Nxg4 Rf1+ 37.Rxf1 Ng3+ 38.Kg2 Nxf1 39.Kxf1 a3 40.Ne3 a2 41.Nc2 Kg8 42.Ke2 Kf7 43.Kd2 Kf6 44.Kc3 Kg5 45.Kb2 Kf4 46.Kxa2 g5 47.Kb3 g4 48.Kc4 g3 49.Ne1 Ke3 50.Ng2+ Kf2 51.Nh4 g2 52.Nxg2 Kxg2 53.Kd5 a5 54.Kxd6 a4 0-1
Carlsen, M (2847)-Nakamura, H (2736) [C53]
chess24.com (3.22) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Bc5 4.c3 Nf6 5.d3 0-0 6.0-0 d5 7.exd5 Nxd5 8.Re1 Bg4 9.h3 Bh5 10.b4 Be7 11.b5 Na5 12.Rxe5 Nf6 13.Nbd2 Bd6 14.Re1 Re8 15.Bb3 Qd7 16.Rxe8+ Rxe8 17.Bc2 Nd5 18.Ne4 Nxc3 19.Nxc3 Bxf3 20.Qd2 Qe6 21.Qe3 Qd7 22.Qd2 Qe6 23.Qe3 Qd7 24.Qd2 ½-½
Nakamura, H (2736)-Carlsen, M (2847) [D31]
chess24.com (3.23), 02.05.2021
1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 a6 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Bf4 Nf6 6.e3 Bd6 7.Bxd6 Qxd6 8.Bd3 Bg4 9.Qb3 Nc6 10.h3 Bh5 11.Nge2 Bxe2 12.Nxe2 0-0 13.Rc1 Nd8 14.Qa3 Qd7 15.0-0 g6 16.Nf4 Re8 17.Bc2 c6 18.Nd3 Ne6 19.f4 Ng7 20.f5 g5 21.Ne5 Qc7 22.h4 g4 23.Qc3 Ngh5 24.Qe1 Rxe5 25.dxe5 Qxe5 26.Qc3 Qg3 27.Qe1 Qd6 28.Qf2 Re8 29.Rcd1 Qe5 30.Rd4 c5 31.Rd2 Ng3 32.Rfd1 Kf8 33.Rd3 Nfe4 34.Qe1 Qf6 35.Rxd5 Qxh4 36.Bxe4 Qh1+ 37.Kf2 Nxe4+ 38.Ke2 Qxg2+ 39.Kd3 0-1
Aronian, L (2781)-Mamedyarov, S (2770) [C77]
chess24.com (3.23) 2021
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 Be7 9.a4 Rb8 10.0-0 d6 11.Nbd2 0-0 12.Re1 Na5 13.Ba2 bxa4 14.c3 Bd7 15.Qc2 Nh5 16.Bg3 Rb6 17.Nf1 Nb3 18.Rad1 Be6 19.Ne3 Nd4 20.cxd4 Bxa2 21.Rc1 Nxg3 22.hxg3 exd4 23.Nxd4 c5 24.Ndf5 Bb3 25.Nxe7+ Qxe7 26.Qc3 Be6 27.d4 Rb3 28.Qd2 Rfb8 29.Rc2 cxd4 30.Qxd4 R8b4 31.Qd2 Rxe4 32.Rd1 Reb4 33.Qc1 Rb8 34.Rd4 a3 35.Nd5 Bxd5 0-1
*******
PUZZLERS
WHITE TO MOVE,
MATE IN TWO.
The key to our last problem is 1.Qh7!, and Black’s futile options are: 1…Kf4 2.Nd3#; 1…Kd4 2.Nc6#; 1…Kd6 2.Nc4#; 1…Kf6 2.Ng4#./PN
