The Week in Chess

Magnus Carlsen and Wesley So meet in the final of the Skilling Open after both defeated their opponents in the first set and then made sure they drew the second set. The final takes place on November 29th and 30th and is the first event in the Champions Chess Tour that has an online event every month until it finishes on October 3rd in 2021.

Wesley So's online form has improved throughout the year recently winning a strong US Championships and he also shared first with Carlsen in the Saint Louis Rapid and Blitz. Hikaru Nakamura has also had a stellar online season but he found this match against So a bit of a struggle. Nakamura saved two lost positions in the first couple of games earning a perpetual check in game one and fighting his way back in game two - after a another draw in game 3 Nakamura was in a must win situation if he wanted to take the match to a tie-break. Nakamura found complications but missed an important tactical point which lost his dangerous passed pawn after which if So had wanted he could have won but instead he chose to draw.

Ian Nepomniachtchi won a wild first game against Magnus Carlsen where his King was wandering around in the middle of the board. Carlsen sacrificed a knight with 29...Rd8 which was good enough for equality, 30.Kxf4 Rd6 31.Qe8 (actually losing to one precise move but this was also what won Nepomniachtchi the game as the better 31.Qc8 Bxf2 is equal) 31...Bxf2? now doesn't work and was the losing move, instead 31...Qc7 wins in all lines. In game two Nepomniachtchi reached equality with black and then started to think, he would surely have drawn after 31...Qd5, it's unclear whether his 31...Qd6 was a mouse slip or not but after 32.Rd1 Qc6 (31...Rxh6 was equal) 33.Rd4 f5?! the game came alive again and shortly afterwards Nepomiachtchi went wrong with 41....Qg7? and soon lost. Carlsen played for, and got, draws in games 3 (where he was winning at one point) and 4 and that's all he needed to reach the final.

"Another lesson: stop giving points for free :/ Congrats to @MagnusCarlsen & gl in the final!" Nepomniachtchi on twitter after losing the match.