Carlsen rettet sich wie durch ein Wunder in das große Finale von Aimchess Rapid

Norway’s world number 1 Magnus Carlsen beat Uzbek rising star Nodirbek Abdusattorov on Wednesday to secure his seat in the Division I Grand Final of the Champions Chess Tour Aimchess Rapid 2023.
Carlsen won the first two games and, despite being down two pawns and dead lost in the third, found a miraculous save to clinch the match without a fourth.

In the Losers Bracket, both matches ended in 2-0 sweeps. GM Eduardo Iturrizaga took down GM Levon Aronian and, in an emotional interview, dedicated his victory to his mother who recently passed away.

With Black, GM Wesley So outplayed GM Fabiano Caruana in an endgame, and then won a miniature in 22 moves the second time around. Iturrizaga and So will play in the Losers Semifinals on Thursday, and Abdusattorov will play the winner of that match for the second Grand Final spot.

Carlsen needed just a draw in game three to win the match, but he said he „fell asleep at the wheel“ and underestimated the danger until he was simply lost. Down two pawns in a rook endgame, he considered resigning, but he played it out, saying Abdusattorov had been „shaky“ in the previous games.

It paid off as he drew the game with a miraculous save. In the interview, Sachdev asked if Carlsen enjoyed playing the younger generation. Carlsen responded: „I like playing anybody, but… it’s good to get them while they’re young!“

In his last two matches, Carlsen won the first game with Black. Asked by Rensch about his aggressive approach with the black pieces, the world number-one said: „I’m just playing terribly when I try to be solid.“

Abdusattorov will still have a second life in the Losers Final on Thursday. 

In Division II, GM Sam Sevian and GM Gata Kamsky had a five-game match with zero draws in the Winners Semifinals. It was decided in the armageddon game, where Sevian won on time. GM Denis Lazavik advanced without a game after GM Amin Tabatabaei lost by forfeit due to a conflict with an over-the-board event. Sevian and Lazavik will play in the Winners Final.

In Division III, GM Yu Yangyi jumped into the Grand Final after overcoming GM Tuan Minh Le with a 2-0 score. Coming up in the Losers Bracket will be GM Rauf Mamedov vs. GM Liem Le and GM Leinier Dominguez vs. GM Dmitry Andreikin on Thursday.

For a more in-depth look at Wednesday’s play including game analysis, highlights and reports from Division II and III, click here.