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You can follow the development of the tournament in our live center. There you can also chat with our chess expert Maud Rødsmoen.
Magnus Carlsen-Jan Nepomnjasjtsjij 2-2
The chess player lost the first game with black pieces. He then struck back with White, before securing two draws. That was enough to get to the final as they won the first match.
– I’m super happy with it, but I feel like I still have to raise the game a bit to win the final, Carlsen tells TV 2.
The final place was finally secured when he played a draw with White in the last game. Even though the chess computer gave him good odds, Carlsen explains that he didn’t feel comfortable at one point.
– It has been the review melody for me in this tournament. The game has not been everyone, but I still manage to win. But it is never too late to start playing well. What matters is that I am further away and I know I can do much better than I have done so far, says Carlsen.
In the final, Carlsen will face Wesley So, who beat Hikaru Nakamura in the second semi-final.
The end
Played for two days, a match with four rapid chess games per day.
If it is the same on day two, the final goes to two games with blitzkrieg. Then it may be Armageddon.
He played on Sunday and Monday.
This is the first of ten tournaments on the groundbreaking Champions Chess Tour.
P.S! Watch Sunday’s game on TV 2 Sport 1 and Monday’s game on TV 2 Sport 2. They both also watch Sumo.
Nightmare start
After winning the first match of the semifinals, the premise was clear to Magnus Carlsen before the second day: if he achieved a draw in all matches, he would be ready for the final.
On the second day, Carlsen opened with black pieces. The 29-year-old finished well under the clock in the first game. After 26 moves, he was about five minutes behind his Russian opponent.
The game flipped back and forth, before Carlsen failed in the playoffs. Finally, a chess mat was placed in the middle of the board.
– Party fireworks. It was a party where Magnus was annoyed by the clock and became too ambitious in a rather demanding position. He did not find the correct continuation, and Nepomnyashchij effectively took advantage of the opportunities given him, said chess expert Hans Olav Lahlum.
In the second game, Carlsen played with white pieces. Again the position fluctuated, but this time the Norwegian chess player was much better on time.
When he had already built a good position, he knocked out two farmers and had a 98 percent chance of winning, according to the chess computer, in the playoffs.
Then “Nepo” did not have a defense plan and left the party.
Thus, the semifinalists returned to the start after two games. In the third game, it ended in a draw. That’s how the fourth game ended too, and so Carlsen was able to smile for a finishing place.
You can follow the development of the tournament in our live center. There you can also chat with chess expert Maud Rødsmoen.
