Magnus Carlsen and Ian Nepomniachtchi played out an epic see-saw encounter on day 1 of the Airthings Masters final that leaves the event on a knife-edge.
The match started with Carlsen having earlier tweeted “peace is cool” in reference to world events. That proved appropriate as, after four stunning games, there was a pleasingly peaceful resolution on the chessboard. The chess, of course, was anything but friendly.
Purely in chess terms, the four epic drama-filled games were as exciting as anything seen on the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour – despite all being draws. Games 2 and 3 were filled with twists and turns as both Magnus and Ian took huge risks to go for the win. Then in the final game, it seemed like one player would finally get ahead going into tomorrow’s decider.
Nepomniachtchi took his eye off the ball for a moment and blundered a piece. A win for Carlsen, a full rook up, looked inevitable.
But incredibly, Carlsen blew it with a careless move of his own. Both players were visibly shocked as game 4 headed towards another draw.
It ended a stunning encounter that belied the sombre mood among the players due to outside events.
The players will resume tomorrow with four more games and tiebreaks if needed. A winner must be found.
Full coverage with commentary is available on chess24.com/tour/ and chess24’s YouTube and Twitch channels.
For further comments, contact:
Leon Watson – leon@championschesstour.com
About the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour
The Champions Chess Tour is the leading online chess Tour worldwide, determining the world’s best chess player over a full competitive season of online chess. The 2022 season begins in February 2022 and features monthly tournaments culminating in a Final in November 2022. The best chess players in the world are competing in rapid chess. All games take place online on www.chess24.com, with players competing for a total prize pool of over USD 1.5 million. For more information, visit www.championschesstour.com.
About Play Magnus Group
Play Magnus Group is a global leader in the chess industry focused on providing premier digital experiences for millions of chess players and students. The company offers e-learning and entertainment services via its market-leading brands: chess24, Chessable, iChess, New In Chess, Everyman Chess, Silver Knights, Aimchess, the Play Magnus App Suite, and the Meltwater Champions Chess Tour. The Group’s mission is to grow chess to make the world a smarter place by encouraging more people to play, watch, study, and earn a living from chess. Play Magnus Group is listed on Euronext Growth Oslo under the ticker PMG.
