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Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2020 (Games and Results)

Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2020

Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2020. Photo ©

Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2020. Photo © | https://chess24.com

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational was an online tournament hosted by chess24 which took place April 18th to May 3rd 2020. With over the board chess suspended for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus crisis this was a welcome new event. The concept was one similar to one Carlsen advocated in 2018 for the World Championship - a number of rapid games in one day rather than a single classical game. The format was a Match Round Robin of 8 players meeting each other once over four 15 minute + 10 seconds a move games, if this mini-match was tied 2-2 there was a single decisive Armageddon game. The top 4 played in a knockout final stage to decide the winner. The prize fund was $250,000 and a star studded field competed alongside Carlsen.

The Magnus Carlsen Invitational was brought to you by chess24.com Learn more about the tournament at magnuscarlsen.com/en/invitational.

Magnus Carlsen Invitational field was: Magnus Carlsen, Fabiano Caruana, Ding Liren, Ian Nepomniachtchi, Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, Anish Giri, Hikaru Nakamura and Alireza Firouzja.

Magnus Carlsen beat Hikaru Nakamura 2.5-1.5 in the final.

Magnus Carlsen beats Hikaru Nakamura in a close final of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational (Final Day 16)

Magnus Carlsen beat Hikaru Nakamura 2.5-1.5 in the final of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational. This was the 16th and final day of the tournament. Way back on day one Carlsen beat Nakamura 3-2 in their preliminary match only after an Armageddon tie-break. In that match all four rapid games were decisive with white winning them all. In the final the first three games were won by the player with the white pieces and in the final game Carlsen was almost certainly objectively lost at one stage.

Unlike the wild matches in the semi-finals all four games in the final were more technical and settled in the endgame. In game one Carlsen ground down Nakamura in a very long English Opening where he had a small but persistant edge. Game two Carlsen got a poor endgame quite quickly which was instructively won by Nakamura. In game three Carlsen himself got a favourable endgame almost out of the opening and didn't let Nakamura off the hook. In the final game Carlsen equalised quickly with black but only a couple of moves rather carelessly allowed chances again and later Nakamura had a near decisive advantage but gradually let Carlsen off the hook to allow the draw and lose the match. A more detailed summary below.

Carlsen was obviously happy to win the event. Tarjei J. Svensen reports that later on TV2 Sporten (a Norwegian TV Channel) Carlsen said "I can't disclose much yet, but I can say that there will be more tournaments like this. For everyone who wants to watch, this is not the end, but rather the beginning of something that will be a lot of fun in the future."

Final Standings and prizes 1st Carlsen - $70,000 2nd Nakamura - $45,000 3rd Ding Liren - $30,000 3rd Caruana - $30,000 5th Nepomniachtchi - $22,500 6th Firouzja - $20,000 7th Giri - $17,500 8th Maxime Vachier-Lagrave - $15,000

The next two major online chess events with top stars are FIDE Chess.com Online Nations Cup 2020 Tuesday 5th May 2020 Sunday 10th May 2020 and Play for Russia. Tuesday 12th May 2020 Thursday 14th May 2020

Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2020 (Final Day 16)

Magnus Carlsen Invitational Final Day 16 2020. Photo ©

Magnus Carlsen Invitational Final Day 16 2020. Photo © | https://chess24.com

Magnus Carlsen Invitational 2020 (chess24.com INT)
Sat 18th Apr 2020 - Sun 3rd May 2020 - Official Site - Live

Carlsen Inv Prelim (8 players 7 Rds MRR Indiv TC:15m+10spm) - Games in PGN: Games Prelim

Carlsen Inv Final 4 (4 players 2 Rds KO Indiv TC:15m+10spm) - Games in PGN: Games Final

Carlsen Inv Prelim (8 players 7 Rds MRR Indiv TC: 15m+10spm) - Games in PGN: Games Prelim

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Carlsen Inv Prelim chess24.com INT Sat 18th Apr 2020 - Sun 3rd May 2020
Leading Round 6 (of 7) Standings:
RkNameTiFEDRtgGmsPtsTB1
1Nakamura, HikaruGMUSA273661314.5
1Carlsen, MagnusGMNOR286361313.5
1Caruana, FabianoGMUSA283561313
4Ding, LirenGMCHN279161213
5Nepomniachtchi, IanGMRUS27846611
5Firouzja, AlirezaGMFID2728669.5
7Vachier-Lagrave, MaximeGMFRA27786511.5
8Giri, AnishGMNED27646410
8 players

Carlsen Inv Final 4 (4 players 2 Rds KO Indiv TC: 15m+10spm) - Games in PGN: Games Final

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Carlsen Inv Final 4 chess24.com INT Sat 18th Apr 2020 - Sun 3rd May 2020
Leading Final Round 2 Standings:
RkNamePrize
1Carlsen, Magnus$70,000
2Nakamura, Hikaru$45,000
3Ding, Liren$30,000
3Caruana, Fabiano$30,000
5Nepomniachtchi, Ian$22,500
6Firouzja, Alireza$20,000
7Giri, Anish$17,500
8Vachier-Lagrave, Maxime$15,000
8 players

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