Magnus Carlsen wins Grenke Chess Classic for a third time

A sixth consecutive victory!

The last time Magnus Carlsen played in a tournament and did not emerge as the winner was in November last year, when he played on the top board for Norway at the European Team Championship — Carlsen scored 6½/8 points in Budva, nonetheless. Before that, the world number one had struggled at the Qatar Masters, where he scored 6/9 for a disappointing 16^th place in the final standings.

Since then, however, the 33-year-old (his birthday is on November 30) has collected six tournament victories in a row. Carlsen won the Champions Chess Tour Finals, the World Rapid Championship, the World Blitz Championship, the Chessable Masters, the Freestyle G.O.A.T. Challenge and now the Grenke Chess Classic.

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In Karlsruhe, Carlsen claimed his third triumph in the Grenke Classic. The Norwegian played in 5 out of the 7 editions of the event, failing to claim first place twice — in 2017, when Levon Aronian took first place, and in 2018, when Fabiano Caruana emerged victorious.

Carlsen won the previous edition of the Classic, in 2019. The event was a 10-player single round-robin with a 2724 average rating. Carlsen remained undefeated and obtained a 7½/9 score to leave Caruana a full 1½ points behind in sole second place. The impressive showing granted the long-standing world number one a 2983 Tournament Performance Rating.

Magnus Carlsen defeated Maxime Vachier-Lagrave in the final round of the 2019 edition | Photo: Georgios Souleidis

This time around, the organizers put forth a more dynamic format, with a ‘fast-classical’ time control (45+10) and a playoff section at the end of the event. Following the 6-player double round-robin, those placed first and second in the standings fought for first place in a 2-game match. Carlsen’s opponent, Richard Rapport, defeated the eventual tournament winner in the first round of the event and finished the all-play-all in clear second place.

The final saw Carlsen winning the first game with the white pieces and then saving a draw from what at times looked like a completely losing position.

Matches for third and fifth places also took place on Monday. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave beat Vincent Keymer in blitz playoffs (2½-1½) to grab third place, while world champion Ding Liren got the better of Daniel Fridman ‘in regulation’ (1½-½) to secure fifth place.

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Maxime Vachier-Lagrave grabbed third place after winning a hard-fought match against Vincent Keymer | Photo: Angelika Valkova

Carlsen 1 - 0 Rapport

Carlsen, Magnus2830

1–0

Rapport, Richard2720

GRENKE Chess Classic-TB 2024 Karlsruhe01.04.2024[TA]

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.e5 c5 5.a3 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 Ne7 7.Qg4 Qc7 8.Bd3 Qa5 9.Bd2 9.Qxg7? Qxc3+ 9...Rg8? 10.Qf6-+ 10.Ke2 Rg8-+ 9...c4 10.Be2       10.Qxg7 Rg8 11.Qxh7 cxd3 12.Qxd3 Nd7 12...Rxg2 13.h4 10...Rg8 The position is equal. 11.a4 Nbc6 12.Qh3 h6 13.Bh5 Bd7 14.Ne2 g6 15.Bg4 h5 16.Bf3 Nf5 17.g4 hxg4 18.Bxg4 0-0-0 19.Bxf5 exf5 20.Bg5 Rde8 21.Kd2 Rh8 22.Qf3 Nd8       23.Bf6 Rh6 23...Rh5!? 24.h4       Ne6 25.h5 g5 26.Rae1 26.Qxf5? Nxd4 26...Bxa4? 27.Bg7+- 27.Nxd4 Bxf5-+ 26...f4 Black should play 26...a6= 27.Reg1 Rg8

27...Qxa4? 28.Bxg5 28.Qxd5? Bc6-+ 28...Nxg5 29.Rxg5+- 27...Bxa4 28.Qg4 28.Bxg5 Bxc2 29.Kxc2 Qa2+ 30.Kd1 Qb3+ 31.Ke1 Qb1+ 32.Kd2 Qb2+ 33.Kd1 Qb3+ 34.Ke1 Qb1+ 35.Kd2 Qb2+ 36.Kd1 Qb3+= 28.Nxf4! Rxf6 28...Nxf4? 29.Qxf4 29.Bxg5 Rxh5 30.Rxh5 Nxh5+- 29...Re8 29...gxf4? 30.Rxg8++- 30.Rxg5+- 30.Qxg5 Rh7+- 29.exf6 Nxf4 30.h6 aiming for Qxf4! Ne6 30...Bxa4? 31.Qxf4 31.h7 Rh8+- 31...Bxc2 31...gxf4? 32.Rxg8+ Kc7 33.Ra1+- 32.Rxg5+- 32.Qg4+ Kc7+- 30...Qxa4? 31.h7 Rh8 32.Rxg5+- 31.h7 Dancing on a razor blade. Rh8 32.Qe3 32.Qh5?! Qc7 32...Be8 33.f4± 33.Qxf7 Qf4+ 34.Kd1 Qf3+ 35.Kd2 35.Kc1 Qxc3 36.Rg3 Qa1+ 37.Kd2 Qxd4+ 38.Kc1 Qa1+ 39.Kd2 Qxh1-+ 35...Nd8= 32...Qd8 32...Bxa4? 33.Rxg5 Nxg5 34.Qxg5+- 32...Qxa4? 33.Ra1 Qc6 34.Rxa7+- 33.Rxg5! Nxg5 33...Bxa4? 34.Rg7+- 34.Qxg5 Kc7 35.Qg7       White is really pushing. 35.Rh5 And now Qg3+ would win. Be6 36.Qg7 35...Be6± 36.Re1 36.f4± 36...Kb6 36...Bf5!= 37.Qxf7+ Kc6 37.Re5       White has compensation. Qc8 37...a5 38.f4±       White has more active pieces. a6 38...Qf8± was called for. 39.f5 Bd7 40.a5+ 40.Rxd5 Bxa4 41.Rc5 Bc6± 40...Ka6 41.Rxd5 Ba4 39.Kc1!+- Ka7?

39...Qf8 40.f5 Bc8 41.Rxd5 Qa3+ 42.Kd2 Qf8 40.f5!       Bd7

40...Bxf5? 41.Rxf5 41.Qxf7 Rxh7 42.Qxd5 Bg6 41...Qf8 42.Kb2+- 42.Rxd5 Qc8+- 41.a5! Qf8? 41...Bxf5? loses. 42.Rxf5 42.Qxf7 Rxh7 43.Qxd5 Bg6 42...Qf8 43.Kb2+- 43.Rxd5 Ka8+- 41...Rf8 42.Rxd5 42.Re7 Bxf5 43.Rxf7 Rh8 42...Ba4 42.Kb2 42.Rxd5 Ba4 42...Qa3+ 43.Kd2± 42...Qc8 43.Rxd5 Black is weak on the dark squares Bc6 44.Re5 Bd7 45.Qxf7 Strongly threatening Qg7. Bxf5 46.Rc5 Qe6 47.Qxe6 Bxe6 48.Rc7 Bf5

49.Rg7! And not 49.Rxc4 Rxh7 49...Bxh7 50.d5= 50.Rc5 Bh3 49...Bxh7 50.f7 Bd3 51.cxd3 Weighted Error Value: White=0.10 (very precise) /Black=0.46. Mistake: White=2 Black=6 Inaccurate: White=1 Black=3 OK: White=9 Black=15 Best: White=2 Black=4 Strong: White=3 --- Brilliant: White=1 --- 1–0

Top Choice Repertoire: Play the French Defence Vol.1 & 2

In this two-volume video course former world-champion and startrainer Rustam Kasimdzhanov shows you the ins and outs of this hugely complex opening.

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Game analysis by Robert Ris

Links

• Official website
• Grenke Classic: Magnus caps grand performance with a win (2019)
• Grenke Classic: Caruana clear first after clutch win (2018)
• Grenke Classic: Aronian misses win in exciting finale (2017)