After hiccups aplenty, Magnus Carlsen clinched his signature event with a Hikaru Nakamura in the $300,000 Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour Finals on Thursday.
Carlsen and Nakamura claimed alternating wins in this summit clash, with the former taking the even wins and Nakamura clinching the odds. With the players locked at 3-3 after Carlen scored a timely 3-1 victory in the sixth set on Wednesday, the seventh set became the decider in the tie. Having won this, Carlsen completed a 4-3 win over the American, the first player to win two days in a row in the final.
The opening game of the decider held special significance. The clinical triumph gave a huge psychological advantage to Carlsen, with three more rapid games remaining.
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With the game moving into the Armageddon, Carlsen chose to play black, needing just a draw to win the title clash. Playing with a sore back due to a sprain while swimming the day before, Carlsen looked visibly relieved with the favourable result.
He takes home a prize money of $140,000 USD. Runner-up Nakamura is the only player throughout this tour who had troubled Magnus to the extent he could and almost looked like he could go all the way and effect an upset and takes home $80,000 USD for his finish.
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