Giri grounds Carlsen, Firouzja floors Vachier on day of underdogs

Anish Giri punished in-form Magnus Carlsen for an uncharacteristic blunder and went on to win 2.5-1.5 for his first victory.

Anish Giri, still in the seventh place having lost all his previous four rounds, won the second and only decisive game after Carlsen committed a blunder, lost a rook and resigned soon thereafter.

A struggling Anish Giri punished in-form Magnus Carlsen for an uncharacteristic blunder and went on to win 2.5-1.5 for his first victory in the $250,000 Magnus Carlsen Invitational online chess tournament on Sunday.

It turned out to be a perfect day for the underdogs as last-man Alireza Firourzja stunned Maxime Vachier-Lagrave, ranked second in world in rapid format, 2.5-1.5 to open his account in the eight-player field. Like Giri, Firouzja’s lone win also came with black pieces. Barring the third game, all others were drawn.

Anish Giri beats Magnus Carlsen 2.5:1.5! And what a reaction https://t.co/akyqMHd1xM#c24live#MagnusInvitepic.twitter.com/AxB4NMi4jQ

— chess24.com (@chess24com) April 26, 2020

Giri, still in the seventh place having lost all his previous four rounds, won the second and only decisive game after Carlsen committed a blunder, lost a rook and resigned soon thereafter.

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Carlsen’s loss also opened up the title-race in his signature event. He leads with 11 points, just ahead of Hikaru Nakamura (10) who plays his fifth round against joint-third Caruana (8).

Fifth-round results:

Anish Giri (Ned) bt Magnus Carlsen (Nor) 2.5-1.5; Alireza Firouzja (FIDE) bt Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (Fra) 2.5-1.5.