Magnus Carlsen Tour Finals: Carlsen wins in Armageddon

Carlsen vs Nakamura - Set 7

A best-of-5 format is in place at the semifinals, so winning three sets (or mini-matches) is enough to move on to the final. The format for each set consists of:

• 4 rapid games with a time control of 15 minutes for the whole game and 10-second increments from the first move.
• In case of a tie: 2 blitz tiebreakers with a time control of 5 minutes for the whole game and 3-second increments from the first move.
• In case of a tie: Armageddon - White gets 5 minutes, Black gets 4 minutes, but a draw gives Black overall victory.

The winners move on to the final, which will be played to the best of 7 sets.

There will be no scheduled rest days. The semis will be played on August 9-13 and the final will take place on August 14-20.

Previous reports:

• Semis: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4
• Final: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6, Day 7

Live games and commentary

Improve your chess with Tania Sachdev

On this DVD, well-known Indian WGM Tania Sachdev shows you how to evaluate certain positions and then find the right concepts and plans on the basis of her own games.

Commentary by GM Peter Leko, GM Yasser Seirawan and IM Tania Sachdev

Benefiting Kiva

Facing the World Champions

During his career, Vlastimil Hort, who himself belongs to the same generation as Bobby Fischer, met no less than eight world champions over the board. In the early 60s he crossed swords with Mihail Tal, and at the end of the eighties he was sitting over the board from Garry Kasparov. Between the two there were meetings with chess legends Botvinnik, Petrosian, Smyslov, Spassky, Fischer and Karpov.

Kiva is an international non-profit, founded in 2005 in San Francisco, with a mission to expand financial access to help underserved communities thrive.

According to their official site:

We do this by crowdfunding loans and unlocking capital for the underserved, improving the quality and cost of financial services, and addressing the underlying barriers to financial access around the world. Through Kiva's work, students can pay for tuition, women can start businesses, farmers are able to invest in equipment and families can afford needed emergency care.

Henrique Saboia, VP of Growth at Kiva, commented:

Chess is one of those universal sports that our lenders and borrowers across the world enjoy. We’re eagerly anticipating the Tour Grand Final ourselves, and even more excited to see how chess fans the world over will support small businesses to overcome the impact of COVID-19. Good luck to all the competitors!

Links

• Official site