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. 31 Nf7+ Kg8 32 Nxd6 cxd6 33 Nc7 Ra3 The rook is saved, but at too great a cost. 34 Qc1 Qa5 35 Qg5+ Kf8 36 Ne6+ Kf7 37 Nd8+ Kf8 38 Nxc6 bxc6 39 Rb7 Black resigns
The most spectacular finish of the event, and perhaps the tour, came in the following game.
Jan-Krzysztof Duda–Anish Giri
Meltwater Champions Tour Finals, Nov 2022
28 Rg7+! Kxg7 29 f6+ Kh6 29…Kg8 runs into a different sacrifice: 30 Bh7+! And now 30…Kxh7 31 Qh5+ or 30…Kh8 31 Ng6+ Kxh7 32 Qh5+ Kg8 33 Ne7 mate. 30 Ng4+ Kg5 31 Qf5+! The wonderful point of the combination, which had to be foreseen by Duda before sacrificing his rook. Nxf5 32 Rxf5+ Kg6 32…Kxg4 33 h3 is a cute mate. 33 Re5+ Mate follows quickly, e.g. 33…Kf7 34 Re7+ Kg8 35 Nh6+ Kh8 36 Rh7#. Black resigns
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