Magnus Carlsen, the world champion, and Hikaru Nakamura, the five-time US champion and speed specialist, are the two big beasts of major online chess tournaments, and they displayed their subtle skills this week at the $235,000 Airthings Masters, the opening event of the year’s online Champions Tour.
They were able to withstand the challenges of the Indian youngsters Arjun Erigaisi and Dommaraju Gukesh due to their disciplined and remarkable attitude during the matchplay stages.
In contrast, the fourth-ranked player in the world and expected future champion, Alireza Firouzja, reached the quarterfinals before losing five consecutive matches and exiting the event. Due to unclear circumstances, Firouzja has been gone from competition for several months. And his tactical brilliance was only intermittently on display during an episode marred by errors.
The first tournament of the 2023 Chess.com Tour was open to all grandmasters, unlike the previous three years’ invitation-only events. Its entry of nearly 150 GMs was an impressive mix of three generations: former legends like Vlad Kramnik, Vasyl Ivanchuk, Peter Svidler, and Gata Kamsky fought alongside current top 10s like Fabiano Caruana, Ian Nepomniachtchi, and Wesley So, and the new generation led by Firouzja and the Indian teens.
Carlsen and Nakamura outwit youngsters in odd MasterAirthings
It was disheartening that Simon Williams, the “Ginger GM,” was the only English participant. Williams finished 95th with a score of 3.5/9, a respectable showing against the high-caliber competition. But inadequate to qualify among the top 54 who would compete in the following stages for tens of thousands of dollars.
David Howell is a commentator, and Airthings conflicted with Bundesliga matches involving Michael Adams, Gawain Jones, and Luke McShane, but for England’s numerous other general managers, this was a rare opportunity squandered.
Airthings began with a nine-round Swiss for all players except Carlsen and So, who were seeded first and second on the Champions Tour for 2022. The top 12 players in the Swiss then competed to determine the last eight competitors.
Gukesh, age 16, was a smashing success in the Swiss phase. He won the Swiss with a perfect 7.5/9, one point ahead of the competition, which included a victory over Kramnik. Whom he went on to defeat 2-0 in their qualifying match.
There were hopes for a generation-altering moment similar to Nigel Short’s 1977 victory over Jonathan Penrose or Garry Kasparov’s 1982 victory over Viktor Korchnoi, but by the quarterfinals, Gukesh was unable to match Nakamura’s cunning and lost 0.5-2.5.
Five years ago, Gukesh was two pawns behind against Short at the Bangkok Open. Then, Short forgot about his clock, and his flag dropped after a few minutes. He stated, “It is difficult to lose with dignity when your opponent knows you have not punched your clock and leaps up and down with delight when your flag falls.”
Alexey Sarana
Gukesh earned the top board gold at the Chennai Olympiad last year. Last month, he began poorly at Wijk aan Zee but fought back strongly in the final rounds. Afterward, he stated that he had learned much from the experience.
Carlsen’s quarterfinal opponent was Alexey Sarana, who won their solo game at the December World Blitz. The first game featured a classic attack, Carlsen’s best at Airthings, with the move 17 g4! garnering the most plaudits from the commentators.
The No. 1 had a more difficult semi-final, defeating Erigaisi by Armageddon tiebreaker alone. The 19-year-old significantly improved from his worst finish at Wijk. The other semi-final was a usually cautious encounter between Nakamura and So, which included the infamous Berlin endgame with an early draw by repetition of queens on the d and e files.
In a typical tournament, Carlsen’s victory over Nakamura in Wednesday’s Winners Final would be the conclusion. Thursday’s Loser Final between Nakamura and So produced a 2-1 Armageddon victory for Nakamura, and Carlsen had to play again on Friday.
He won the first game and then drew the next three, finishing with a 2.5-1.5 score. However, Nakamura had a chance to win game three when he approached a won ending. But Carlsen established a study-like draw in which his lone rook held against the American’s rook and two pawns. Following this near escape, Carlsen dominated the fourth game and eventually accepted a draw offer while in a winning position.
The innovative and intricate nature of the competition divided opinion and promoted careful play. Wednesday, Carlsen apologized for his lackluster performance, saying that the games were of “poor quality.” The headline of the columnist John Henderson’s story was “Every loser wins… new tour, new format, many new misunderstandings.”
Favorable Black pieces in the Armageddon tie-break
After four tense draws in the championship match, Carlsen won the bidding for the favorable Black pieces in the Armageddon tie-break and so need just a draw to advance. Carlsen had bid eight minutes 58 seconds, Nakamura eight minutes 59.
Despite having 15 minutes on the clock and a six-minute advantage, Nakamura never appeared to make progress. The one-second bidding victory that gave Carlsen Black was arguably a critical factor in the outcome.
Comparable to the repechage system in Olympic rowing, in which eliminated boats are given a second chance to qualify for the final, is the system used in other sports. Because repechage winners are rarely in contention for major medals, it works.
But if Carlsen wins the Winners Final and then loses the Grand Final, the Norwegian fans will not be particularly thrilled. The Losers Final, Grand Final, and Reset Final are controversial and could be criticised if they generate an unfair result.
The redesigned Tour is an impressive structure overall. On Monday, February 13, a Swiss competition accessible to all Fide and national titleholders, not only grandmasters, will be introduced.
Only three open event qualifiers will proceed to GM. There, it is already seen as a significant addition to the chess economy, allowing many more grandmasters than those with elite ratings to earn substantial compensation for their work.
