Yet another triumph: Carlsen wins Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland

Down to the wire

Find expert commentary — video and game annotations — by well-known coach and author IM Robert Ris at the end of the article.

Attack like a Super Grandmaster

In this Fritztrainer: “Attack like a Super GM” with Gukesh we touch upon all aspects of his play, with special emphasis on how you can become a better attacking player.

Despite achieving an incredible +10 score in the blitz section of the Superbet Poland event in Warsaw, Magnus Carlsen only secured tournament victory after defending an ending with rook against bishop and two pawns until move 124 in the very last round of the competition!

Jan-Krzysztof Duda entered the fifth day of action with a half-point lead over Carlsen, but saw his famed opponent winning 5 out of his 6 first games to get a 2-point lead in the standings.

Duda did not give up, though, as he grabbed consecutive wins in rounds 15-17 to enter his deciding confrontation against Carlsen with a chance to force a tiebreaker for first place — at that point, he was a full point behind, which meant he needed to win with black to get a shot at a second consecutive title in the Warsaw event.

Playing black in a must-win situation, Duda decided to play an offbeat Sicilian with 2...b6. Carlsen got a strategic edge in the early middlegame, but a remarkable showing under pressure allowed Duda to restore the balance. By move 39, Carlsen had an extra exchange against Duda’s two extra pawns. The Polish star tried to make the most of his connected passers, but Carlsen kept finding precise defensive manoeuvres with his rook and king.

The game ended up lasting 124 moves, with the players exclusively using the 2-second increments to make tough decision after tough decision. Carlsen held the draw and thus secured tournament victory with an impressive 24/36 score despite having finished the rapid section 3 points behind then-leader Duda.

A visibly contented Carlsen told Cristian Chirila after winning the event:

At the start I was playing with more flow: it was easier. And then, with three rounds to go, I was not feeling as energetic anymore. I was already starting to think about the last game — I was really hoping that I wouldn’t have to get a result in that game. But to Duda’s credit, he kept going. [...] He played extremely well, and I really had to fight so hard.

This is Carlsen’s biggest over-the-board success since his double triumph at the World Rapid & Blitz Championships in December 2022. He also won the strong Airthings Masters (online) in February this year.

The dramatic final game (full webcast)

Master Class Vol.8 - Magnus Carlsen 2nd Edition

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.

So in shared third place, leads GCT standings

Given Carlsen’s astounding 7-game winning streak in rounds 5-11 (he also won three consecutive games in rounds 13-15), a couple of hours into the fifth day of action major focus was put on the fight for second place. After round 14, Duda was in fact sharing the second spot in the standings with Wesley So and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, each with 19½ points.

Round 15 was a big turning point, though, as Duda beat So and Vachier-Lagrave was defeated by Kirill Shevchenko. Duda went on to almost catch up with Carlsen, while So and MVL continued their toe-to-toe scrap for third place.

So entered the final round with a half-point advantage over MVL after beating Shevchenko in round 17. The Frenchman had black against Radoslaw Wojtaszek, and obtained the full point he needed to catch So in the final standings.

Wojtaszek’s 39.Qg4, allowing Black to trade queens, was not a good decision at this juncture — perhaps fatigue prompted the Polish GM to look for simplifications. MVL gladly captured on g4 and went on to convert his advantage into a win in the ensuing queenless position.

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So’s draw with Bogdan-Daniel Deac meant he and MVL finished tied for third. This performance plus his shared second place at the Superbet Classic in Bucharest left So at the top of the Grand Chess Tour overall standings with 15.25 points to his name. Duda is currently in second place with 14.5 points.

Wesley So | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Maxime Vachier-Lagrave | Photo: Lennart Ootes

Expert analysis by IM Robert Ris

Calculation Training for 1400-1600 players

Mastering these tactical motifs is essential to deepen your understanding of the game and become a better player. After all, you neither want to overlook the given chances by your opponent, nor blunder yourself!

Final standings

All games - Blitz

Links

• Official website
• Duda comes from behind, wins Superbet Rapid & Blitz Poland (2022)
• All reports on the Superbet Chess Classic (2023)