Champions Chess Tour Final: Carlsen beats Nakamura and increases his lead

by André Schulz
9/30/2021 – Magnus Carlsen again increased his lead in the Champions Chess Tour final. In his round five match against Hikaru Nakamura Carlsen demonstrated impressive endgame technique by winning two instructive rook endings which brought him a 2.5-0.5 victory. Wesley So, who can still hope to catch Carlsen, was on the brink of defeat against Anish Giri, when the Dutch number 1 blundered the crucial game away. | Graphics: Champions Chess Tour
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Thanks to his performance in the previous Meltwater Chess Champion tournaments, Magnus Carlsen started the finals of the series with a four-point lead. In round 1 he convincingly defeated Jan-Krzysztof Duda but in rounds 2 and 3 he had to go into tiebreaks and in round 4 he lost against Vladislav Artemiev. But in round 5, against Hikaru Nakamura, Carlsen bounced back in style. He started the match with a fine win in a rook endgame.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Nbd2 Be6 8.b3 0-0 9.Bb2 Nd7 10.d4 f6 11.dxe5 fxe5 12.Qe2 Qe7 13.a4 Rf7 14.h3 Raf8 15.Rad1 h6 16.Nh2 c5 17.Nc4 Rf6 18.Qd3 Qf7 19.f3 h5 20.Nxd6 cxd6 21.Qe3 Qe7 22.Qg5 Re8 23.Rf2 Bf7 24.Nf1 Nf8 25.Qd2 Ng6 26.Ne3 Nh4 27.Kh2 Kh7 28.Rdf1 Ng6 29.Nf5 Qf8 30.f4 Nxf4 31.Rxf4 exf4 32.Bxf6 gxf6 33.Qxd6 Qxd6 34.Nxd6 Re7 35.Rxf4 Kg6 36.Kg3 Be6 37.Rf3 b6 38.Kf4 h4 39.g4 hxg3 40.Rxg3+ Kh7 41.h4 Rd7 42.e5 fxe5+ 43.Kxe5 Bg8 44.Nf5 Kh8 45.c4 Rd1 46.Ne7 Bh7 47.Nd5 Rh1 48.Nf6 Rxh4 Carlsen now transposes into a rook ending which he wins without much trouble. 49.Nxh7 Kxh7 50.Kd6 Rh6+ 51.Kc7 Rf6 52.Kb7 Rf7+ 53.Ka6 Rc7 54.Rd3 Heading for b7. Kg6 55.Rd8 Re7 56.Rb8 Kf5 57.Rb7 Re3 58.Kxa7 Rxb3 59.a5 59.Rxb6 Also wins: Ra3 60.Ka6 Rxa4+ 61.Kb5 Ra1 62.Kxc5 59...Rb4 60.a6 Ke5 61.Rxb6 Rxc4 62.Kb7 Ra4 63.a7 Rxa7+ 64.Kxa7 c4 65.Rc6 65.Rc6 Kd4 66.Kb6 c3 67.Kb5 Kd3 68.Kb4 c2 69.Kb3 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2855Nakamura,H27361–02021C65Meltwater Tour Final 20215.1

The second game ended in a draw, but the third game saw another rook endgame that led to the same result as the ending in game 1: Carlsen won – and the match was over.

 
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 Bc5 5.Bxc6 dxc6 6.0-0 Bd6 7.Bg5 h6 8.Bh4 Qe7 9.Nbd2 Bg4 10.h3 Bh5 11.d4 0-0-0 12.Re1 Qe6 13.c4 Bxf3 14.Nxf3 Qxc4 15.dxe5 Bxe5 16.Nxe5 Qb5 17.Nxc6 Qxc6 18.Qb3 Rd7 19.Rac1 Qe6 20.Qxe6 fxe6 21.Bg3 b6 22.Rc6 Re8 23.Be5 Kb7 24.Rec1 Ree7 25.f3 Ne8 26.h4 h5 27.Kh2 g6 28.Kg3 Rd2 29.R6c2 Rxc2 30.Rxc2 Rf7 31.b4 a6 32.a4 Rf8 33.b5 axb5 34.axb5 Kc8 35.Ra2 Kd7 36.Ra8 Rf7 37.Ra1 Rf8 38.Kf2 Nd6 39.Bxd6 Kxd6 Black has three weak pawns, g6,e6 and c7. White has only one weak pawn: b5. However, Black should be able to hold. 40.Rd1+ Ke7 With the king on e7, White often takes the pawn on c7 with check. Better was 40...Ke5 e.g. 41.Ke3 41.Rc1 Ra8 42.Rxc7 Ra2+ 43.Kg3 Rb2= 41...Ra8 42.f4+ Kf6 43.Rd7 Ra3+ 44.Kd4 Ra4+= 41.Ke3 Ra8 42.Rc1 Kd7 43.Kf4 And Carlsen is winning again. Ra2 44.g4 Ra3 45.Rf1 Ke7 46.Kg5 Kf7 47.Kh6 Rc3 48.g5 Black is running out of moves. Rd3 48...e5 49.f4 48...Rc5 49.Rd1+- 49.Rc1 Rd7 50.Rc6 Re7 51.f4 Rd7 52.f5 gxf5 53.exf5 exf5 54.Rf6+ Kg8 55.Rxf5 Rd6+ 56.Kxh5 c6 57.bxc6 Rxc6 58.g6 Rc8 59.Kg5 Rb8 60.h5 b5 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2855Nakamura,H27361–02021C65Meltwater Tour Final 20215.3

The Norwegian TV channel TV 2 broadcasts the tournament live, and in an interview after the match, Carlsen said Nakamura had not offered much resistance this time, adding: "With so little resistance, it's not hard to play well."

Let our authors show you how Carlsen tailored his openings to be able to outplay his opponents strategically in the middlegame or to obtain an enduring advantage into the endgame.

In the match between Anish Giri and Wesley So, who is Carlsen's closest (and only serious) pursuer, Giri suffered from a sudden blackout that cost him the match. He was leading the match 1.5-0.5 and had a won position in game 3, when he suddenly blundered:

 
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1.c4 e6 2.Nc3 d5 3.d4 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.Nf3 Nc6 6.g3 Nf6 7.Bg2 cxd4 8.Nxd4 Bc5 9.Nxc6 bxc6 10.0-0 0-0 11.Qc2 Bb6 12.Na4 Ba6 13.Rd1 Re8 14.e3 Rc8 15.b4 Qe7 16.Rb1 Ne4 17.Nxb6 axb6 18.Bb2 h5 19.Rd4 h4 20.gxh4 Qxh4 21.Ba1 Black is winnning. c5 21...Re6!? 22.Rxd5 cxb4 23.Qb2 Nc3 24.Rd4 Ne2+?? Blundering a piece in a won position. After 24...Qg5 25.Re1 Bb7 26.f4 Qg4 27.Rxb4 Nd5 28.Rd4 Rxe3 it is Black, who is winning. 25.Qxe2 Qxd4 26.Qxa6 Qd2 The tactics are over and White has two strong bishops for the rook. White is winning. 27.Bd4 Rc1+ 28.Rxc1 Qxc1+ 29.Qf1 Qd2 30.Bd5 Rd8 31.Bb3 Rc8 32.Kg2 Rc1 33.Qb5 Qe1 34.Qe8+ Kh7 35.Bc2+ 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
So,W2778Giri,A27771–02021D33Meltwater Tour Final 20215.3

So equalized the match and won the blitz-tiebreak.

Shakhriyar Mamedyarov and Vladislav Artemiev had a lively battle.

 
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1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 c5 4.cxd5 exd5 5.e4 dxe4 6.Bb5+ After 6.d5 Albin's Countergambit with reversed colours appears on the board. Which might not be bad for White. 6...Bd7 7.Nge2 7.dxc5 Bxb5 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.Nxb5 Bxc5 10.Nh3 h6 is Marshall, F-Janowski,D Paris 1905, 1-0 (82). White did not really have much compensation, but still won. 7...Bxb5 8.Nxb5 a6 9.Nbc3 cxd4 10.Nxd4 Nf6 11.Bg5 h6 12.Bh4 Be7 13.Nf5 White is a pawn down, but better developed. 0-0 14.Qb3 Nbd7 15.Rd1 Not 15.Qxb7?! Rb8 16.Qxa6? Nc5 17.Qe2?? Rxb2 18.Qxb2 Nd3+ 15...Qe8 16.0-0 Bc5 17.Na4 17.Nd6!? Bxd6 18.Rxd6 17...Qe5 17...Ba7?! 18.Qg3 would be nice for White. 18.Qh3 Rfd8? 18...Rac8 and Black has a solid position. 19.Nc3? White misses the hidden resource 19.Bg3! Qe6 Or 19...Qe8 20.Bc7 Rdc8 21.Nxc5 Nxc5 22.Nd6 20.Bc7 Re8 21.Nxc5 Nxc5 22.Rd6 Qc4 22...Qe5 23.Rc6 and White wins 23.Rxf6 gxf6 24.Qg4+ and White mates. 19...Bf8 20.Bg3 Too late! Qe6 21.Bc7 Re8 22.a3 Ne5 23.Rfe1 Rac8 24.Bd6 Rcd8 25.Bxf8 Kxf8 26.Nd4 Qxh3 Oops! 26...Qxh3 27.gxh3 Rxd4 28.Rxd4 Nf3+ 0–1
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Mamedyarov,S2762Artemiev,V26990–12021D32Meltwater Tour Final 20215.1

Mamedyarov won game three, but with a win in game four Artemiev decided the match in his favour, winning 2.5-1.5. Maxime Vachier-Lagrave also defeated Jan Krzysztof Duda 2.5-1.5 and this was also the result of the match between Teimour Radjabov Levon Aronian.

In the table, Carlsen is now again five points ahead of So but with a score of 10 points out of a maximum of 15 he would also lead the finals without the bonus points.

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André Schulz started working for ChessBase in 1991 and is an editor of ChessBase News.

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