When Magnus Carlsen renounced his world championship title earlier this year, one of his stated goals was to focus on other events, without bearing the burden of preparation for a regular title match. The Meltwater Champions Tour is an important battleground for the Norwegian, and he showed devastating form at the Tour Finals in San Francisco earlier this month. Initiated by Carlsen during the pandemic, the elite series of rapid tournaments is mostly played online, although four out of eight players travelled to San Francisco for the finals.
This was the only decisive game from Carlsen’s first-round mini-match against the runner-up. The position in the first diagram is roughly balanced, and Wesley So was no doubt hoping to castle queenside to secure his king, so Carlsen dissuades him with a timely pawn sacrifice, 17 b2-b4!
Magnus Carlsen–Wesley So
Meltwater Champions Tour Finals, Nov 2022
1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 Nf6 4 d3 Bc5 5 Bxc6 dxc6 6 O-O Nd7 7 c3 a5 8 Bg5 f6 9 Bh4 Bd6 10 d4 Qe7 11 Nbd2 g5 12 Bg3 h5 13 h4 g4 14 dxe5 fxe5 15 Ng5 Nb6 16 a4 Bd7 (see diagram) 17 b4 c5 17…axb4 18 a5! is the idea: 18…Nc8 19 Nc4 bxc3 20 Qb3. Black’s king is stranded and all White’s pieces are active. 18 bxa5 Rxa5 19 Qb3 Bxa4 20 Qa2 Ra6 21 Rfb1 Bc6 22 Qb3 Ba4 23 Qb2 O-O Castling queenside is off the menu, but Black’s king would have been safer left in the centre, so 23…Kd7 followed by Rh8-a8 was advisable. 24 Nc4 Sharp tactics, since 24…Nxc4 25 Qxb7 Rfa8 26 Qd5+ recovers the knight, with the advantage. Kh8 25 Ne3 Rfa8 26 c4 Bc6 27 Rxa6 Rxa6 28 Nd5 Qe8 29 Qc3 Nd7 30 f3 Qa8 A blunder, under intense pressure. Surprisingly, after 30…gxf3 31 Qxf3 Qg6 followed by Ra6-a8-f8, Black has good chances to weather the storm.
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