Division I: Missed chances
In the duel of underdogs between Jose Martinez and Denis Lazavik, Martinez got off to the worst possible start, as a one-move blunder prevented him from converting a clear advantage into a win.
White has a rook and two minor pieces for Black’s queen, with a clearly superior position. However, after 47.dxe4 (instead of, for example, 47.Re3), the balance was restored due to 47...Qb5, with a double attack — Martinez saved his rook with 48.Re3, but after 48...Qxa5 Black has enough play with his queen to save the draw.
Following this disappointing start, Martinez lost the next two games, which means Lazavik advanced to the final match in the winners’ bracket.
Much like Martinez, the loser in the other semifinal of the winners’ bracket missed a chance to obtain what would have been a crucial victory in game 2. Magnus Carlsen had won the first encounter, and Vladimir Fedoseev missed a difficult-to-find manoeuvre to bounce right back.
Fedoseev v. Carlsen - Game #2
Despite being two pawns down, it seems like Black’s active king and knight will manage to save the day. And indeed, after 66.Kxg3, as played by Fedoseev in the game, White eventually got the half point.
However, Fedoseev missed the one winning move in the diagrammed position: 66.Ne3+. The Slovenian representative failed to notice that after 66...Kxd4 he has 67.Nc2+ (diagram), and there is no stopping the a-pawn!
Both 67...Nxc2 and 67...Kc5 lose to 68.a6 in this setup.
After this miss and a draw in game 3, Fedoseev got to even the score in the fourth encounter. However, it was Carlsen who prevailed in the Armageddon, where he held a draw with black in a topsy-turvy confrontation.
Division I winners’ bracket
In over 4 hours in front of the camera, Karsten Müller presents to you sensations from the world of endgames - partly reaching far beyond standard techniques and rules of thumb - and rounds off with some cases of with own examples.

Meanwhile, four elite grandmasters faced each other in the losers’ bracket. Alireza Firouzja knocked out Wesley So by drawing with white and winning with black (two-game matches are played in the losers’ bracket), while Ian Nepomniachtchi first bounced back and then won the Armageddon against Maxime Vachier-Lagrave.
In the sudden-death decider, MVL was better in the endgame, but a mistake on move 48 turned the tables in Nepo’s favour, as analysed below by GM Karsten Müller.
Division I losers’ bracket

All games - Division I
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1.Nf3 d5 2.g3 c5 3.c4 d4 4.b4 cxb4 5.a3 b3 6.Bg2 Nc6 7.d3 a5 8.a4 e5 9.0-0 Nf6 10.Qxb3 Bb4 11.Ba3 Nd7 12.Bxb4 axb4 13.Ne1 Nc5 14.Bxc6+ bxc6 15.Qxb4 Qa5 16.Nc2 Bh3 17.Qxa5 Rxa5 18.Re1 Kd7 19.f4 f6 20.fxe5 fxe5 21.Nd2 Rb8 22.Reb1 Rxb1+ 23.Nxb1 Nb3 24.Ra3 Nc1 25.Kf2 Bg4 26.Nd2 Bxe2 27.Ra1 Bxd3 28.Rxc1 Rxa4 29.Nf3 Kd6 30.Ncxd4 exd4 31.Nxd4 Rxc4 32.Rxc4 Bxc4 33.Nf5+ Ke5 34.Nxg7 Bf7 35.g4 Bg6 36.g5 Kf4 37.Ne6+ Kg4 38.Ke3 Bf5 39.Nd8 Bd7 40.Nf7 Be8 41.Nd6 Bh5 42.h4 Kxh4 43.Kf4 Bg6 44.Nb7 Kh3 45.Nc5 Kg2 46.Nd7 Kh3 47.Nc5 Bf7 48.Ne4 Kh4 49.Nf6 Bg6 50.Nd7 Kh3 51.Nf6 Kh4 52.Nd7 Kh3 ½–½
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Carlsen,M | 2901 | So,W | 2857 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.1 |
Fedoseev,V | 2791 | Firouzja,A | 2823 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division I | 1.1 |
Nepomniachtchi,I | 2831 | Martinez Alcantara,J | 2724 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division I | 1.1 |
Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2886 | Lazavik,D | 2763 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.1 |
Firouzja,A | 2830 | Fedoseev,V | 2784 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division I | 1.2 |
Lazavik,D | 2766 | Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2883 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.2 |
Martinez Alcantara,J | 2734 | Nepomniachtchi,I | 2821 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.2 |
So,W | 2858 | Carlsen,M | 2900 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division I | 1.2 |
Carlsen,M | 2907 | So,W | 2851 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.3 |
Fedoseev,V | 2793 | Firouzja,A | 2821 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.3 |
Nepomniachtchi,I | 2819 | Martinez Alcantara,J | 2736 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.3 |
Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2880 | Lazavik,D | 2769 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.3 |
Firouzja,A | 2820 | Fedoseev,V | 2794 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division I | 1.4 |
Lazavik,D | 2771 | Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2878 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.4 |
Martinez Alcantara,J | 2738 | Nepomniachtchi,I | 2817 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division I | 1.4 |
So,W | 2852 | Carlsen,M | 2906 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 1.4 |
Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2876 | Lazavik,D | 2773 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division I | 1.5 |
Carlsen,M | 2905 | Fedoseev,V | 2803 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division I | 2.1 |
Martinez Alcantara,J | 2748 | Lazavik,D | 2773 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 2.1 |
Fedoseev,V | 2797 | Carlsen,M | 2911 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 2.2 |
Lazavik,D | 2772 | Martinez Alcantara,J | 2749 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division I | 2.2 |
Carlsen,M | 2908 | Fedoseev,V | 2800 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 2.3 |
Martinez Alcantara,J | 2742 | Lazavik,D | 2779 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division I | 2.3 |
Fedoseev,V | 2802 | Carlsen,M | 2906 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division I | 2.4 |
Fedoseev,V | 2812 | Carlsen,M | 2896 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 2.5 |
Carlsen,M | 2823 | Lazavik,D | 2553 | | 2024 | | Division I | 3.1 |
Firouzja,A | 2811 | So,W | 2853 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division I | 51.1 |
Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2876 | Nepomniachtchi,I | 2807 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division I | 51.1 |
Nepomniachtchi,I | 2801 | Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2882 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division I | 51.2 |
So,W | 2852 | Firouzja,A | 2812 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division I | 51.2 |
Nepomniachtchi,I | 2811 | Vachier-Lagrave,M | 2872 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division I | 51.3 |
Please, wait...
Division II: Artemiev beats Nakamura
The semi-finalists in the winners’ bracket of Division II are Vincent Keymer, Benjamin Bok, Vladislav Artemiev and Levon Aronian. In the one match of the quarter-finals that went to Armageddon, Artemiev beat Hikaru Nakamura with black to knock him down to the losers’ bracket, where he is set to face Rauf Mamedov on Sunday.
Keymer beat Jeffery Xiong 3-1, and got to win the second game in only 21 moves. Xiong’s innocuous-looking 20.e3 was the losing mistake.
Keymer v. Xiong - Game #2
The refutation is 20...Qg4, attacking the bishop and making the most of White’s weakened light squares around the king. After 21.Bd3, Keymer played 21...e4 and Xiong resigned.
22.exd4 exd3+ 23.Kd2 Rxd4 is devastating for White.
Division II winners’ bracket
In this two-part course the emphasis will be on typical pawn-structures.

Division II losers’ bracket

All games - Division II
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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 Nf6 4.d3 d6 5.0-0 Bd7 6.c3 g6 7.d4 Bg7 8.h3 Nxe4 9.Re1 f5 10.Qb3 Qe7 11.Be3 a6 12.Bf1 b5 13.a4 b4 14.a5 g5 15.Nbd2 Nxd2 16.Bxd2 h6 17.d5 Nd8 18.cxb4 e4 19.Rac1 c5 20.dxc6 Bxc6 21.b5 axb5 22.Rxc6 Nxc6 23.Bxb5 Rc8 24.Qd5 Qd7 25.Bc3 Bxc3 26.bxc3 Kd8 27.Nd4 Re8 28.Bxc6 Re5 29.Bxd7 Rxd5 30.Bxc8 Kxc8 31.Ra1 Kb7 32.a6+ Ka8 33.Nc6 Rc5 34.Nd4 f4 35.Ra3 Ka7 36.g3 h5 37.Kg2 Rc4 38.h4 f3+ 39.Kf1 g4 40.Ke1 e3 41.fxe3 Rc5 42.Kf2 d5 43.Ke1 Rc8 44.Nb5+ Ka8 45.a7 Rc5 46.Nd4 Rc7 47.Ne6 Rb7 48.Ra1 Re7 49.Nf4 Rxe3+ 50.Kd2 Re5 51.Kd3 Rf5 52.Ke3 Re5+ 53.Kd4 Re4+ 54.Kd3 Re5 55.Ra2 Re1 56.Nxd5 Rd1+ 57.Kc4 1–0
- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
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- Drag the split bars between window panes.
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Anton Guijarro,D | 2661 | Aronian,L | 2742 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.1 |
Artemiev,V | 2788 | Martirosyan,H | 2625 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.1 |
Giri,A | 2739 | Xiong,J | 2688 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.1 |
Keymer,V | 2736 | Svidler,P | 2660 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.1 |
Mamedov,R | 2727 | Bok,B | 2626 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.1 |
Nakamura,H | 2755 | Yu,Y | 2748 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.1 |
Sevian,S | 2766 | Vokhidov,S | 2641 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.1 |
Ter-Sahakyan,S | 2653 | Shimanov,A | 2640 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.1 |
Aronian,L | 2732 | Anton Guijarro,D | 2671 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.2 |
Bok,B | 2628 | Mamedov,R | 2725 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.2 |
Martirosyan,H | 2620 | Artemiev,V | 2793 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.2 |
Shimanov,A | 2640 | Ter-Sahakyan,S | 2653 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.2 |
Svidler,P | 2654 | Keymer,V | 2742 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.2 |
Vokhidov,S | 2644 | Sevian,S | 2763 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.2 |
Xiong,J | 2689 | Giri,A | 2738 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.2 |
Yu,Y | 2740 | Nakamura,H | 2763 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.2 |
Anton Guijarro,D | 2664 | Aronian,L | 2739 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.3 |
Artemiev,V | 2789 | Martirosyan,H | 2624 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.3 |
Giri,A | 2737 | Xiong,J | 2690 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.3 |
Keymer,V | 2748 | Svidler,P | 2648 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.3 |
Mamedov,R | 2723 | Bok,B | 2630 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.3 |
Nakamura,H | 2770 | Yu,Y | 2733 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.3 |
Sevian,S | 2768 | Vokhidov,S | 2639 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.3 |
Ter-Sahakyan,S | 2653 | Shimanov,A | 2640 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.3 |
Aronian,L | 2745 | Anton Guijarro,D | 2658 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.4 |
Bok,B | 2640 | Mamedov,R | 2713 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.4 |
Shimanov,A | 2640 | Ter-Sahakyan,S | 2653 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.4 |
Vokhidov,S | 2642 | Sevian,S | 2765 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.4 |
Xiong,J | 2691 | Giri,A | 2736 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 1.4 |
Yu,Y | 2742 | Nakamura,H | 2761 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.4 |
Xiong,J | 2692 | Giri,A | 2735 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 1.5 |
Artemiev,V | 2793 | Nakamura,H | 2769 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.1 |
Keymer,V | 2754 | Xiong,J | 2692 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.1 |
Sevian,S | 2762 | Aronian,L | 2751 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 2.1 |
Ter-Sahakyan,S | 2661 | Bok,B | 2650 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.1 |
Aronian,L | 2759 | Sevian,S | 2754 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 2.2 |
Bok,B | 2650 | Ter-Sahakyan,S | 2661 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.2 |
Nakamura,H | 2770 | Artemiev,V | 2792 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.2 |
Xiong,J | 2693 | Keymer,V | 2753 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 2.2 |
Artemiev,V | 2791 | Nakamura,H | 2771 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.3 |
Keymer,V | 2760 | Xiong,J | 2686 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.3 |
Sevian,S | 2746 | Aronian,L | 2767 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.3 |
Ter-Sahakyan,S | 2661 | Bok,B | 2650 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 2.3 |
Bok,B | 2658 | Ter-Sahakyan,S | 2653 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 2.4 |
Nakamura,H | 2771 | Artemiev,V | 2791 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 2.4 |
Xiong,J | 2688 | Keymer,V | 2758 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 2.4 |
Nakamura,H | 2771 | Artemiev,V | 2791 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 2.5 |
Artemiev,V | 2737 | Aronian,L | 2746 | | 2024 | | Division II | 3.1 |
Keymer,V | 2627 | Bok,B | 2594 | | 2024 | | Division II | 3.1 |
Anton Guijarro,D | 2652 | Vokhidov,S | 2645 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 51.1 |
Giri,A | 2735 | Svidler,P | 2642 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 51.1 |
Mamedov,R | 2703 | Shimanov,A | 2632 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 51.1 |
Yu,Y | 2734 | Martirosyan,H | 2620 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 51.1 |
Martirosyan,H | 2623 | Yu,Y | 2731 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 51.2 |
Shimanov,A | 2634 | Mamedov,R | 2701 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 51.2 |
Svidler,P | 2636 | Giri,A | 2741 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 51.2 |
Vokhidov,S | 2637 | Anton Guijarro,D | 2660 | ½–½ | 2024 | | Division II | 51.2 |
Giri,A | 2731 | Svidler,P | 2646 | 1–0 | 2024 | | Division II | 51.3 |
Martirosyan,H | 2625 | Yu,Y | 2729 | 0–1 | 2024 | | Division II | 51.3 |
Please, wait...
Division III: Paravyan, Safarli, Sarana and Grischuk in semis
Out of the four semi-finalists in the winners’ bracket of Division III, Alexander Grischuk had the easiest victory on Saturday. The 40-year-old got a 3-0 victory over Jaime Santos, who did not show up for the match as he was representing FC Bayern Munich in the German Bundesliga — Santos won his game with white against Matthias Bluebaum.
Santos, nonetheless, remains in contention in the losers’ bracket.
All games - Division III
Replay and check the LiveBook here |
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- Start an analysis engine:
- Try maximizing the board:
- Use the four cursor keys to replay the game. Make moves to analyse yourself.
- Press Ctrl-B to rotate the board.
- Drag the split bars between window panes.
- Download&Clip PGN/GIF/FEN/QR Codes. Share the game.
- Games viewed here will automatically be stored in your cloud clipboard (if you are logged in). Use the cloud clipboard also in ChessBase.
- Create an account to access the games cloud.
In this video course, twenty-nine examples with multiple questions are presented in the interactive format, which is ideal for a range of playing strengths. Step by step you will be taken through the complex positions.
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