Magnus Carlsen Invitational: “Blanked” host battles to beat Nepomniachtchi
Magnus Carlsen opened his match against Ian Nepomniachtchi on a disastrous note when he froze before Move 7 for six minutes and 31 seconds.
Published : Apr 29, 2020 16:45 IST
Magnus Carlsen overcame a horrific start to beat Ian Nepomniachtchi 3-2 and became the first player to qualify for the semifinals of his signature event, $250,000 Magnus Carlsen Invitational online chess tournament on Tuesday. In another fifth round match, involving tailenders, Alireza Firouzja pushed Anish Giri to the last spot in the eight-player field by inflicting a 2.5-1.5 defeat, after winning the first and third games. Carlsen, who surprisingly lost to Giri in the previous round, opened his match against Nepomniachtchi on a disastrous note when he froze before Move 7 for six minutes and 31 seconds. His eventual move cost him a knight. He stretched this opener for 28 moves and resigned when his rook was trapped.
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Sixth-round results: Magnus Carlsen (NOR) bt Ian Nepomniachtchi (RUS) 3-2; Alireza Firouzja (FIDE) bt Anish Giri (NED) 2.5-1.5. |