Carlsen beats Nakamura convincingly, wins Chessable Masters

by Carlos Alberto Colodro
2/22/2025 – Magnus Carlsen emerged victorious in the Chessable Masters Grand Final, defeating Hikaru Nakamura 2½-1½ to claim the title. The Norwegian had already beaten Nakamura in the winners' bracket final and repeated his success with a strong performance. Nakamura missed a key opportunity in game two, and despite needing a win in the fourth game, he could not break Carlsen's resilience. With this result, Carlsen, Nakamura and Ian Nepomniachtchi secured their spots in the Esports World Cup, set for late July.
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He has done it again

The two strongest players of the online, post-Covid era faced off once again in the Grand Final of the Chessable Masters. Magnus Carlsen, who had secured victory in the winners' bracket, defeated Hikaru Nakamura, the winner of the losers' bracket, to claim the title. Just two days earlier, Carlsen had convincingly beaten Nakamura in the winners' bracket final, and he repeated his success with a 2½-1½ victory in the Grand Final.

Carlsen took the lead by winning game one. In the second game, Nakamura missed what Carlsen later described as a "fleeting chance" to equalise.

Nakamura v. Carlsen - Game 2

Had Nakamura played 31.Nxe5 Qxe5 32.Qd4, he could have reached a queen endgame with a pawn advantage after 32...Kf6 33.Qb6+. Instead, Nakamura opted for 31.Ne1, leading to a balanced position that eventually ended in a draw after 61 moves.

A quick draw in game three meant Nakamura had to win the fourth game with White to force a tiebreak.

In the middlegame of game four, Carlsen sacrificed his queen for a rook and a minor piece, a decision not favoured by chess engines. However, he demonstrated his exceptional skill, later stating that he felt "fairly happy" with his level of play. Carlsen ultimately secured a draw from a position of strength, clinching the match and the Chessable Masters title.

With their strong performances in this event, Carlsen, Nakamura, and Ian Nepomniachtchi have qualified for the Esports World Cup, which will take place at the end of July. The second and final online qualifier for that event is scheduled for 18-23 May.

Chessable Masters 2025

Nakamura ½ - ½ Carlsen (Game 4)

Chessable Masters 2025

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1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.d3 h6 5.0-0 Bc5 6.c3 d6 7.Nbd2 0-0 8.h3 Bb6 9.Re1 a5 10.a4 Be6 11.b3 Re8 12.Bb5 Bd7 13.Nc4 Bc5 14.Bd2 Ba7 15.Bxc6 Bxc6 16.Nxa5 Bxf2+ 17.Kxf2 Rxa5 18.b4 Ra8 19.b5 Bd7 20.c4 c6 21.Kg1 Be6 22.a5 Nd7 23.Kh1 cxb5 24.cxb5 Nc5 25.Ra3 Bd7 26.Qb1 Ne6 27.a6 bxa6 28.bxa6 Nc5 29.a7 Qc7 30.Qa1 Bb5 31.Be3 Nxd3 32.Rb1 Bc4 33.Nd2 d5 34.exd5 f5 35.Qc3 e4 36.Qxc4 Qg3 37.Nf1 Nf2+ 38.Bxf2 Qxa3 39.d6+ Kh7 40.Qd5 f4 41.Qf5+ 1–0
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WhiteEloWBlackEloBResYearECOEventRnd
Carlsen,M2910Nakamura,H28041–02025Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters 20255
Nakamura,H2798Carlsen,M2916½–½2025Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters 20255
Carlsen,M2913Nakamura,H2801½–½2025Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters 20255
Nakamura,H2803Carlsen,M2911½–½2025Champions Chess Tour Chessable Masters 20255

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Links - Champions Chess Tour 2024

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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