Continuing his dream-run, Hikaru Nakamura stunned Magnus Carlsen in the first game of the second set to inch closer to a possible 2-0 lead in the seven-set title-clash of the $300,000 Magnus Carlsen Chess Tour on Saturday.
Having stopped Carlsen 2.5-1.5 in the first set on Friday, Nakamura once again thrived in a messy position after the World champion appeared to have got his move-order wrong for his home preparation. At one point, Carlsen spent 11 minutes for a move. Later, Carlsen's decision to trade his bishop for a knight on the queen's side gave Nakamura the advantage he was looking for.
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What followed was Carlsen's sacrifice of a knight on the 23rd move in order to find a checkmating combination on the kingside. But Nakamura defended the position very well. A desperate Carlsen temporarily gave up his bishop in search of the possibility of either checkmating the black king or at least finding a draw by perpetual checks.
Once Nakamura brought out his famous defensive skills to deny Carlsen. Eventually, Carlsen gave up on the 45th move.
On Sunday, Nakamura's victory with black pieces in the second game proved the decisive difference between the players.
The results:
Set Two, Game One: Magnus Carlsen (Nor) lost to Hikaru Nakamura (USA).
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