The Week in Chess

Ian Nepomniachtchi emerged the winner of a roller-coaster match against World Champion Magnus Carlsen and with it he reached the final of the Magnus Carlsen Invitational. Earlier Anish Giri - who led his match after day one - won the final game of his match against Wesley So when the latter blundered trying to complicate things in a must win game.

Nepomniachtchi was leading after winning the first set yesterday, he then won game two when Carlsen went completely wrong in a position which started as slightly better for him. Carlsen struck back with black in the next game but only after getting a winning position which was difficult to exploit, letting that go to equality and then eventually winning. This seemed to put Nepomniachtchi on tilt because he was easily beaten again to give Carlsen the set and tie the match. In the blitz tie-break Carlsen got the nominal advantage of Rook and Knight vs Rook but after 142 moves Nepomniachtchi drew. In the final game Carlsen was somewhat better for some time but allowed a drawn Queen and Pawn endgame to become at first difficult and eventually lost.

Nepomniachtchi faces Giri in the final, So faces Carlsen in the 3rd-4th tie-break.