CCT Finals: Carlsen and So on 4/4

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
12/11/2023 – Magnus Carlsen defeated two of his strongest rivals on Sunday to keep his perfect score at the Champions Chess Tour Finals. The former world champion defeated Fabiano Caruana and Hikaru Nakamura in consecutive rounds. Joining him in the lead is Wesley So, who got the better of Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja. | Photo: chess.com / Thomas Tischio
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Not a fan of the predictions

The commentators at the Champions Chess Tour Finals in Toronto often share their predictions before each match. A fierce competitor, Magnus Carlsen confessed that he pays attention to what the pundits predict before his games. The Norwegian jokingly pointed out that he takes notice, especially when they do not envision him as the winner!

For the time being, things are going great for Carlsen, though, as he defeated two of his strongest rivals on day 2 of the competition. First, he got a 1½-½ victory over Fabiano Caruana, and then he got the better of Hikaru Nakamura in the Armageddon decider. Carlsen thus has collected four wins in as many matches.

Also with a perfect score is Wesley So, who so far has defeated Nakamura, Denis Lazavik, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave and Alireza Firouzja.

Two players have won twice and lost twice so far in Toronto, Caruana and Nodirbek Abdusattorov, while the remaining four participants have each collected a single win and three losses. The top two in the final standings of the single round-robin will advance directly to the semifinals, those placed third to sixth will move on to a ‘survival tage’, and the bottom two finishers will be knocked out of the competition.

Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023

Round 3: Naka bounces back, Abdusattorov beats Lazavik

Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023

Coming from consecutive losses in his first two matches on Saturday, Hikaru Nakamura bounced right back by scoring the first 2-0 victory of the event, against Alireza Firouzja. The other marquee match of the round saw Magnus Carlsen beating Fabiano Caruana with black and then drawing with white to collect his third match win of the tournament.

The remaining two matches went to Armageddon, with Wesley So holding a draw with black against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (to win the match), and Nodirbek Abdusattorov beating Denis Lazavik with white in a long, technical endgame — analysed below by GM Karsten Müller, with additions by the ever-helpful Wolfram Schön and Zoran Petronijevic.

All games - Round 3

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1.Nf3 4 Nf6 8 2.g3 3 d5 3 3.Bg2 2 e6 5 4.0-0 16 Be7 11 5.c4 14 0-0 10 6.d4 4 dxc4 24 7.Qa4 5 a6 1 8.Qxc4 2 b5 2 9.Qc2 2 Bb7 1 10.Bf4 3 Nc6 7 11.Nc3! 3       now scores much better than the old 11.Rd1. Nb4 57 E05: Open Catalan: 5 Nf3 Be7. Don't do 11...Nxd4 12.Nxd4 Bxg2 13.Rfd1± 12.Qd2 2 c5 43 13.dxc5 3 Bxc5 9 14.Qxd8 4 Rfxd8 4 15.a4 2 Nbd5 1:47 16.Nxd5 19 Nxd5 14 17.axb5 9 axb5 46 18.Ne5 2 Bd4 1:55
19.Nd3N 19 Predecessor: 19.Rxa8 Rxa8 20.Nd3 Ra2 21.Rd1 g5 22.Bxg5 Bxb2 23.Nb4 Ra1 24.Rxa1 Bxa1 25.Bd2 ½-½ Szerlak,A (2406)-Lubas,J (2341) POL-ch63 final email 2020 19...Nxf4 9 20.gxf4 13 Bxg2 2 21.Kxg2 2 g6 10 22.Rxa8 15 Rxa8= 1       Endgame KRB-KRN 23.Rc1 1 Kg7 27 24.Kf3 16 Rd8 11 25.Rc7 30 Rd5 1 26.b3 27 h6 3 27.h3 3:29 g5 15 28.e4 1:36 Rd6 1 29.Rb7 15 Bc3 1:04 30.Nc5 24 Avoid the trap 30.Ne5? Bxe5 31.fxe5 Rd3+ 32.Kg4 Kg6-+ 30...gxf4 25 31.Kxf4 21 b4 1:06 32.Rd7 35 Rb6 34 33.e5 33 Kg6 25 34.Rd3 37 f6 17 35.exf6 45
Strongly threatening Rg3+. 35...Bxf6 2 36.Ne4 46 Rb5 29 37.Kg4 25 Rf5 41 White must now prevent ...Be5. 38.Kg3 20 Be5+ 30 39.Kg2 2 Rf4 45 40.Nc5 33 Bd4 41 41.Rg3+ 2 Kf6 20 41...Kf5!? 42.Nd3 Re4= 42.Nd3 3 Rf5 1 43.Rg4 48 Bc3 2 44.Nxb4 1:59 Rb5 2 45.Nc2 0 Rxb3 1 46.Rg3 0 h5 17
Black should try 46...Ke5! 47.Nd4 0 47.Rd3!± 47...Rb4! 2 48.Rf3+ 0 Kg6 8 49.Nxe6 0 Be5 5 50.Nf8+ 0 Kg7 5 51.Rf5 0 Hoping for Ne6+. Bd6 7 52.Ne6+ 0 Kg6 1 53.Rd5 0 Rb6 5 54.Nd4 11 Be7 1 55.Ne2 10 Bd6 10 Wards off Nf4+ 56.Kf3 5 Rb3+ 2 57.Kg2 5 57.Ke4!? Bc7 58.Rd7 57...Bb8 1 58.Rc5 3 Rb2 4 59.Rc6+ 2 Kf7 6 60.Nd4 6 Be5 1 61.Nf3 3 Bf6 1 62.Rc5 1 Kg6! 1 63.Rd5 2 Ra2 2 64.Nd2 1 Ra4 5 65.Rd6 1 Kf7 3 66.Nf1 3 Ra2 4 67.Rd5 4 Bh4 7 68.Nd2 1 Ke6 4 69.Rd3 1 Kf7 4 70.Ne4 2 Be7 4 71.Rd5 2 Kg6 2 72.Re5 1 Bh4 3 73.Rd5 5 Re2 2 74.Kf3 3 Ra2 1 75.Rc5 10 Ra3+ 3 76.Kg2 2 Ra2 1 77.Rc3 4 Rb2 3 78.Kf3 1 Ra2 2 79.Ke3 4 Ra1 2 80.Rc6+ 2 Kg7 4 81.Kf4 2 Ra2 7 82.Ke3 10 Ra3+ 1 83.Rc3 1 Ra1 3 84.f4 3 Rh1 5 The position is equal. 85.Rc7+ 6 Kg6 1 86.Rc6+ 2 Kg7 2 87.f5 1 Rxh3+ 2 88.Kf4 1 Ra3 7 89.Rg6+ 2 Kh7 1 90.Rg1 3 Ra6 6 91.Rh1 2 Bd8 1 92.Rxh5+ 1 Rh6 1 93.Ng5+ 4 Bxg5+ 9 94.Kxg5 1 Rxh5+ 1 95.Kxh5= 1 f6 would kill now. KP-K Kg7 1 96.Kg5 1 Kf7 0 97.f6 1       Kf8 2 98.Kg6 1 White threatens f7 and mate. Kg8 0 99.f7+ 1 Kf8 1 100.Kf6 5 Weighted Error Value: White=0.06 (flawless) /Black=0.05 (flawless) ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2830Caruana,F2794½–½2023E05CCT Finals Advancement 20233.1
Nakamura,H2788Firouzja,A27631–02023D00CCT Finals Advancement 20233.1
So,W2752Vachier-Lagrave,M27310–12023D87CCT Finals Advancement 20233.1
Abdusattorov,N2727Lazavik,D2566½–½2023C65CCT Finals Advancement 20233.1
Caruana,F2794Carlsen,M28300–12023B00CCT Finals Advancement 20233.2
Firouzja,A2763Nakamura,H27880–12023C44CCT Finals Advancement 20233.2
Vachier-Lagrave,M2731So,W27520–12023B08CCT Finals Advancement 20233.2
Lazavik,D2566Abdusattorov,N2727½–½2023E01CCT Finals Advancement 20233.2
Vachier-Lagrave,M2731So,W2752½–½2023A29CCT Finals Advancement 20233.3
Abdusattorov,N2727Lazavik,D25661–02023C47CCT Finals Advancement 20233.3

Denis Lazavik, Nodirbek Abdusattorov

Denis Lazavik and Nodirbek Abdusattorov | Photo: chess.com / Thomas Tischio

Round 4: Carlsen chooses white

Champions Chess Tour Finals 2023

The fourth round saw 17-year-old Denis Lazavik getting his first win of the event, as he beat Maxime Vachier-Lagrave with white in the Armageddon decider. Similarly, Magnus Carlsen got the white pieces in the sudden-death game against Hikaru Nakamura and obtained the win he needed to take down the famous streamer. Carlsen did not risk not getting the white pieces.

Wesley So, coincidentally, also played white and won in Armageddon, as he inflicted Alireza Firouzja’s second loss of the day.

In the one match that was decided ‘in regulation’ — i.e. after two games — Nodirbek Abdusattorov scored back-to-back wins to beat Fabiano Caruana, who had entered the second day of action sharing the lead with Carlsen and So.

All games - Round 4

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1.d4 2 d5 1 2.c4 6 c5 1 3.cxd5 8 Qxd5 2 4.Nf3 36       cxd4 2 5.Nc3 15 Qa5 2 6.Nxd4 3 D06: Queen's Gambit: Symmetrical and Baltic Defences. Nf6 1 Prevents e4 7.Nb3 35 Qc7 8 8.e4 12 White is slightly better. Nc6 43 9.Be2 19 e5 9       10.0-0 2:09 Be6 12
11.Nd5N 6 Prevents Be7 Predecessor: 11.Qd3 Be7 12.Qg3 Rd8 13.Nd5 Bxd5 14.exd5 Rxd5 15.Bc4 Nd4 16.Qxg7 Rg8 17.Qxg8+ Nxg8 18.Bxd5 1-0 Zawadka,Z (2185)-Chromczak,T (1919) VW-Cup10 Gr45 email 2017 11...Bxd5 6:07 The position is equal. 12.exd5 1 Rd8 1 13.Bf3 55
Bg5 would be deadly. 13...e4 35 13...Be7!? 14.Re1 1:25 14.Qe2 simplifies Rxd5 15.Bxe4 Nxe4 16.Qxe4+ Qe5 17.Qxe5+ Nxe5 18.Be3 14...Bb4 25 15.Bd2 2:18 0-0 14 16.Bxb4 30 Nxb4 13 17.Bxe4 2 Nbxd5 19 18.Rc1 32 Qb6 28 Threatens to win with ...Nc3! 19.Bb1 7
19.Bxd5 simplifies Rxd5 20.Qc2 Rfd8 21.h3 19...Nc3! 18       Discovered Attack. A dynamic duo of knights. 20.Qf3 18 20.Qc2 Nxb1 20...Nxb1 34 21.Rxb1 2 a5 38 22.Qe3 44 Qxe3 27 23.Rxe3 1 a4 31 White must now prevent ...Ng4! 24.Nc5 5 b5 24 25.Ne4 52 Nxe4 40 26.Rxe4= 1       Endgame KRR-KRR Rd2 9 27.Rb4 5 Re8 45 28.Rxb5 7 g6 2 29.Rb4 9 Ree2 4 30.Rf1 1 Rxb2 3 31.Rxa4 1 Rxa2 2 32.Rxa2 2 Rxa2 1 33.g3 1 Ra3 1 34.Kg2 1 Ra2 1 35.Kg1 2 Ra3 1 Weighted Error Value: White=0.04 (flawless) /Black=0.03 (flawless) ½–½
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2830Nakamura,H2788½–½2023D06CCT Finals Advancement 20234.1
So,W2752Firouzja,A2763½–½2023C54CCT Finals Advancement 20234.1
Vachier-Lagrave,M2731Lazavik,D2566½–½2023C67CCT Finals Advancement 20234.1
Abdusattorov,N2727Caruana,F27941–02023C77CCT Finals Advancement 20234.1
Caruana,F2794Abdusattorov,N27270–12023C55CCT Finals Advancement 20234.2
Nakamura,H2788Carlsen,M2830½–½2023D00CCT Finals Advancement 20234.2
Firouzja,A2763So,W2752½–½2023C67CCT Finals Advancement 20234.2
Lazavik,D2566Vachier-Lagrave,M2731½–½2023D78CCT Finals Advancement 20234.2
Carlsen,M2830Nakamura,H27881–02023C42CCT Finals Advancement 20234.3
So,W2752Firouzja,A27631–02023C42CCT Finals Advancement 20234.3
Lazavik,D2566Vachier-Lagrave,M27311–02023D48CCT Finals Advancement 20234.3

Alireza Firouzja

Alireza Firouzja | Photo: chess.com / Thomas Tischio

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Carlos Colodro is a Hispanic Philologist from Bolivia. He works as a freelance translator and writer since 2012. A lot of his work is done in chess-related texts, as the game is one of his biggest interests, along with literature and music.
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