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Five players entered Thursday's matches with a chance to reach the Grand Final against Magnus Carlsen, who had already secured victory in the winners' bracket on Wednesday. However, Jan-Krzysztof Duda, Alireza Firouzja, Arjun Erigaisi and Ian Nepomniachtchi had a more challenging path than Hikaru Nakamura. While Nakamura only needed to win one match in the losers' bracket final, the other four had to win three consecutive matches to reach the Grand Final.
Duda and Nepomniachtchi began the day with commanding 2-0 victories over Firouzja and Arjun, respectively. Both matches featured sudden shifts in momentum, with the eventual winners capitalising on critical mistakes from their opponents. In the next round, Nepomniachtchi and Duda faced off, with Nepomniachtchi securing a solid draw with White before convincingly winning with Black to advance to the losers' bracket final against Nakamura.
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The last match of the day saw Nepomniachtchi holding a stable 40-move draw with Black in the first game. In the second, Nakamura built a clear advantage with Black but was unable to convert it into a win, leading to an Armageddon decider. In the bidding phase, Nakamura bid 6 minutes and 37 seconds, securing the Black pieces with draw odds. Playing at a rapid pace, he maintained balance throughout the game. By move 40, the position remained equal, with Nepomniachtchi holding only a slight time advantage. Nakamura continued to simplify the position and ultimately secured the draw he needed to advance to the Grand Final.
Carlsen had previously defeated Nakamura 2½-½ in the winners' bracket final. Given his preference for online, blitz, and bullet formats over classical over-the-board chess, Nakamura will be eager for a rematch in the Grand Final.
Analysis by GM Karsten Müller
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